


North

by Cyriusli



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, M/M, Original Character(s), Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-04-02 04:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 23,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4045687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriusli/pseuds/Cyriusli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro chases a young kid across the city early one morning, losing him inside a restaurant where he encounters the kid's adult doppelganger instead. Only the man claims no one else lives there except for him. Zoro is beyond confused and can't figure it out, sure that the man is lying to him. Things only get weirder from there.</p><p>(Eventual light relationship stuff in the later chapters)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a series of drabbles on Tumblr, I moved it here and it's sort of developed into it's own monster.
> 
> Information I use for North comes from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsune

This was not how Zoro planned on ending his overnight. I mean, fucking dammit all to hell and back! Granted he was wearing the pair of boots he could run in, but that didn't mean he  _ wanted  _ to. Besides, who let their twelve year old out at this time of morning? It was barely light out!

The little blond shit ducked around a corner trying to lose him, but oh hell no!, that was certainly not happening. Zoro rounded the corner, watching as the kid forcibly slammed into a set of thick wooden doors, looking over his shoulder with wide eyes back at him. Even from here he could see the blue of them, the little fuck was clearly scared out of his mind. Well good. Zoro knew he wasn't exactly the most friendly looking officer to begin with, but being chased by him just made it all the worse.

Or better from Zoro's point of view. Maybe he could scare the shit out of this kid enough so that he wouldn't try to be out trying to steal at five in the morning. What kind of parents did this kid have anyway?

Scrabbling at the handle, the kid got the door open and slipped inside. He was most likely hoping this would help his successful attempts to lose him, but Zoro knew better. All this did was limit his places to hide. Pulling the door open himself, he searched the quiet dining room with his eyes before seeing the slight flick of the black swinging doors into the kitchen.

Little fuck… Trying to duck out through the back huh? He heard a crash and a yelp from the kid making Zoro grin wickedly as he ran around tables to burst through the doors into the kitchen. The only thing there was a large silver bowl on the floor, obviously knocked there in the kid's hurry.

Other than the lights that hummed lowly in the ceiling, it was quiet. Too quiet. Zoro couldn't even make out the pants of the kid's breathing anywhere. The soft click of a door drew his attention deeper into the kitchen and he moved through the empty room carefully. There was no way he was going to let his presence be known.

Each step he took was slow and calculated, but only until he heard the rough slam of a heavy door closing. Zoro bolted then, jumping over a trashcan that had been knocked over and slamming his shoulder into the heavy metal door at the back of the building.

He stumbled slightly into the alley behind the restaurant. Snapping his head down toward the open end, cursing under his breath at not seeing anything. Twisting his whole body as he started to run up the alley, he stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the other person in the dark with him.

The small outside flood light lit up the area a little better off to the left of the door, but that wasn't what made Zoro stop. The raised eyebrow over cupped hands was part of it. The same fucking weird ass curl as the kid he was chasing, along with the piercing blue eyes, was the rest of it..

Pulling his hands away from his mouth, the other adult— yes, holy shit, this was an adult he was gawking at now— exhaled a cloud of smoke and smirked. How in the hell that kid he had been chasing somehow grew three feet and aged about twenty years in a matter of minutes, Zoro had no idea, but it seemed to be happening. Or he needed to sleep. Or drink. Yeah, drink. When did his shift end again? He was getting too old for this crap.

The man's voice did nothing to help Zoro in his new quest to get drunk either. “Can I help you, Officer? Is there a reason you are busting through my kitchen at five-thirty in the morning?”


	2. Chapter 2

There were a few heartbeats of blank stupidity on Zoro's part. He knew it. He could feel his jaw on the fucking pavement and was torn between yelling about not being old enough to smoke or… or… that was probably the most illogical thing he could come up with.

“Uhhh....” Oh nice. Of all the things to start a fucking conversation with.

The blond pulled another drag off his cigarette, all calm and cool and suave— like an asshole— and shifted his weight back to one leg as he crossed one arm under the elbow of the other. He tipped his head to the side ever so slightly and Zoro swore that raised eyebrow quirked higher.

“I'm looking for you?” Zoro asked awkwardly, rising to stand properly on his own feet again. That sounded stupid, even to him, and he scratched at the back of his head as he rolled his eyes at himself.

“For… me?” The other man replied, face contorting from cocky smirk to confused and slightly worried. He was quiet for a moment before his eyes went wide and he cleared his throat anxiously. Dropping the half burnt stick to the ground, he stomped it out and pulled open the back door. “I have to go.”

“Wait… what?” Zoro jerked to move, grabbing the man by the arm and spinning him to face him. “Hold on just a second.”

“I'm sorry Officer… Roronoa.” Zoro watched the blue eyes flick to his stupid little name tag he was forced to wear then back up to meet his eyes. This guy's entire demeanor changed almost instantly again, his face smoothing over as his eyes lidded ever so slightly. “There has been some sort of misunderstanding here. Please, come inside and I will make you some coffee. Then I am going to have to ask you to leave.”

“My name is Sanji, by the way. I'm sorry for any… harm that has been your misfortune this morning.” Jerking from the officer's grip, the blond pulled open the door and yelled up a set of stairs Zoro had completely missed on his trek through the first time. “Hey! We  _ talked _ about this!”

Silence was his answer.

Zoro pondered for a moment if maybe this guy wasn't just as bat-shit crazy as he seemed to be. His fingers twitched at his side, wanting nothing more than to pull his cuffs and tackle this guy to the ground. Too bad he couldn't arrest someone on being a little tweaked in the head.

Swearing under his breath, Sanji moved into the kitchen and to a small coffee maker against one of the walls. Zoro crossed his arms. “If you are harboring that kid I'm looking for, I am going to have to arrest you.”

“I assure you, there is no child here. Please,” the blond motioned to the door where the stair well lay. “Go check for yourself.”


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the blond, hand halfway to his talkie perched on his shoulder. Did he need to call for backup? Was this some sort of trap? This guy didn't look like that type, yet again most people didn't look like the type that were going to hurt you.

Picking up an already full cup of coffee, Sanji sipped at it before motioning with his hand once more. “I will go with you if you prefer, Officer, but it's just myself that lives here.”

“Then explain why you yelled up the stairs.” Zoro took a step back, training and years of experience making him reach for his gun as well.

“Ah; that.” Closing his eyes, the blond shook his head. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” Opening his eyes, the other man inhaled deeply. “I'm afraid you are going to have to go now. Please; this way.” Turning, Sanji walked toward the front of the kitchen, the clack of his dress shoes on the tile matching the sway of his hips as he moved.

Narrowing his eyes, Zoro moved along behind him. Sanji didn't seem the least bit concerned that Zoro was nervous and possibly going to pull his weapon on him. Instead, the blond pushed through the doors into the dining room and moved around to the bar. There he picked up a card and a pen, scribbling something on it before leaning over the bar to hand it to Zoro. “What's this?”

The blond let his fingers slip away, moving to rest his elbow on the smooth bar and plopped his chin in his open palm. “That's the restaurant's business card. The number on the back…” The blond paused as Zoro read over the front. The name of the restaurant, the Baratie apparently, along with the address and phone number in elegant script met him. Seemed simple enough. Flipping the card over though was another number along with what appeared to be Sanji's full name. “...Is my personal cell phone. Please, when you find some time, do call me and I will explain further.”

“Okay...” Zoro mumbled quietly, slipping the card into a breast pocket. This blond was still really weird, but some off the clock research had never hurt him before, so why would it this time? Granted he'd never dealt with crazy blond business owners, but for some reason Sanji seemed harmless. Why this nagged at him, he couldn't say, but Zoro was sure that despite being as cryptic as he was being; it wasn't Sanji who was to blame here.

“I'm sure you will encounter… me again, Officer Roronoa. Please, just... just be nice. It scares easily.”

That tipped Zoro off. “Mister Black, first you tell me you are here alone and now you are telling me that I am going to see this… whatever again?”

Sanji motioned to Zoro's breast pocket that held his number, then picked up his coffee cup once more. “I am sorry; I need to start on the morning prep for the day. Call me when you are free. I will make time to talk to you.” Not even giving Zoro a chance to respond and not stopping when he stumbled over his words as he tried to get Sanji to continue to talk to him, the other man left Zoro standing in the middle of the quiet dining room.

Well what the fuck was that all about?


	4. Chapter 4

Sanji heaved a sigh as he topped the stairs to his apartment. It had been a long and busy day, made even longer by the nagging thought of that police officer in the back of his head. Kicking off his shoes, the blond poured himself a glass of wine and moved into the living room to collapse onto his couch.

With a groan, he kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, pausing with his glass halfway to his mouth. The simple black table runner was still on the table, crumpled in places, but the large eagle skull that normally rested there was missing. Smacking a hand against his forehead and sliding it over his face, Sanji ground his teeth in annoyance. “Fucking dammit!”

 

* * *

 

Zoro had slept most of the day, deciding to get that drink when he got up. He didn't have to work that night and eventually found himself sitting at the counter of his favorite little bar. His cell phone weighed heavy in his jeans pocket as he tapped the business card in his fingers against the smooth surface.

Should he call the blond? Or should he leave it alone? He'd gone to sleep with that thought in his head and woken up with that thought in his head. Scrubbing his hands through his hair, Zoro groaned and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. Why was this so hard to decide?

He couldn't let that kid run around stealing, that was for sure. Sanji was obviously covering for him and while he should have taken more initiative to locate said kid, the horrified look on his face when Zoro chased him into the building was almost punishment enough.

But. And of course, as luck would have it, there was a 'but' to this stupid thing; Sanji had claimed that no child lived there. That it was just him. Then he referred to some… one?, or something else that was at the restaurant as well.

Why did he always have to end of finding the crazy ones when he was on street patrols? The sound of someone pulling out the chair next to him barely caught his attention, but the words certainly did. “Hey there, Handsome.”

“Huh?” Keeping his hands pressed to his forehead, Zoro turned to look over to the person sitting next to him. They were female, he could tell that much instantly, but as he looked up to see who it was, all he got was a face shrouded behind long blonde hair. “Excuse me?”

“I said,” and this time the woman turned her head slightly, just barely giving Zoro a hint of long lashes and blue eyes. “Hi, Handsome.”

Zoro huffed a chuckle. “I think you are mistaken.”

“Oh no,” the blonde, uncrossed and recrossed her legs, running the toes of one foot up Zoro's shin. Moving his leg, Zoro looked down to her black painted nails before meeting her lidded eyes once more. “I don't think I am at all.”

“You're not my type; sorry.” Zoro tipped his head to the side with a smirk.

“Tell me who you want me to be then,” she cooed at him, her smile clever and sly. “I can be whoever you want me to be.”

“No, I don't think you can.” Shaking his head, Zoro went to turn back toward his beer. Man, some people can't even let a guy drink in peace.

“Try me, Handsome, I can give you whatever it is your heart desires.” She reached out to touch him, most likely to run her hand along his jaw, but Zoro snapped his own hand up, grasping lightly at her wrist.

“No, you can't.” He spoke coldly. His hand on her wrist wasn't hurting, but it was tight enough to make his point clear. “I'm not one for… females.” She scoffed at him, pulling her hand away and flicking her head. Zoro caught the slightest hint of a curl at her eyebrow as she stood without another word.

As he looked back to the counter, looking for the business card from Sanji, it took Zoro a moment to register that the girl had the same exact curl to her eyebrow as that fucking crazy cook did! Jolting out of his chair, he tried to follow her from the bar, but by the time he got to the street, she was gone.

“Fuck!” He swore, kicking at a can that was on the sidewalk. Going back inside, he searched for the card, but couldn't find it. Asking the bartender yielded that he'd seen her pick it up before she left. Just great. And now his only lead to this weird ass thing was gone, too.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoro tried to find the restaurant again, but he couldn't remember the name or where it was. He'd been so focused on chasing that kid, the details of where he was were lost on him. Then on his way out of there, he'd been distracted by the bizarre behavior of one Sanji Black.

He had a name and that should have made the search easy. But typing his name into the database yielded little more than an old address and a dated picture on his license. Groaning, he scrubbed at his hair and heaved a sigh.

“Hey, I know him! He works at the Baratie.”

“Huh?” Zoro looked up and over his shoulder as one of the other officers grinned down at him. “Ya know, fuck you, Ace. I asked you about this two days ago.”

“Yeah, well two days ago I hadn't been dragged there by Luffy. Come on, I gotta head to that side of town anyway. I'll give ya a lift.” Jingling his keys, the dark haired man grinned at him.

Shutting down his computer and grabbing his hat, Zoro stood and followed along. “So, why you looking for him anyway? He seemed like a decent enough guy.” Ace asked as they settled into his cruiser.

“It's not him, perse. It's his kid.” Frowning, Zoro crossed his arms and leaned back against the seat. The more he thought about it though, the weirder this entire thing got. Maybe that girl was related somehow. There was no way that had been Sanji. The fucking eyebrow curl was there, but it hadn't been the same.

Besides, Sanji had a goatee, and he hadn't struck Zoro as the type to shave and dress in drag to simply retrieve a business card back. No, whoever it had been was certainty a different person. Perhaps a sister? Maybe the man had a twin sister and the kid was hers. Maybe they had been visiting? That would explain why he'd claimed no child lived there with him.

Looking up from staring at his boots, Zoro watched the people cross the walk in front of them at the red light. Ace was babbling on about his little brother and how good the food apparently was at the Baratie. Somehow, in typical Luffy style, he'd befriended the chef and now wouldn't leave him alone.

“That's the kid!” Zoro practically screamed in the little car, slamming a hand on the dash and getting unbuckled as he climbed out of the vehicle.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ace yelled out the window at him, but Zoro wasn't listening anymore.

He got close to the boy, was just about to clap a hand onto his shoulder, when he looked over his shoulder at him and ran. Growling and swearing under his breath, Zoro chased after him, but the little shit was fast! The blond ducked around a corner and Zoro tried to slow down, but he almost missed it, slamming his shoulder into the side of the building before bouncing off and darting down the alley.

There was the slam of a metal door and the officer saw Sanji glaring at it angrily before realizing that he was there. Slowing to a stop, his footsteps heavy as his did so, Zoro stood panting for breath as Sanji eyed him suspiciously. “You,” he started, pointing at the blond before dropping his hand back to his side. “Have a fuck ton of explaining to do.”

Quietly, the older blond brought his cigarette to his lip and sucked on it. With an exhale, he raised that stupidly curled eyebrow at him. “Is that so?”


	6. Chapter 6

“I believe this is yours.” Sanji pulled something from his breast pocket and handed it over to Zoro between two fingers.

Still trying to catch his breath, Zoro took it and sure as fuck, it was the damned business card with the man's number on it. “How...”

“I found it on my coffee table upstairs a couple mornings ago.” He shrugged like it was no big deal and pulled another drag off his cigarette.

What the fuck? Zoro bit his tongue in order to keep from actually saying it out loud, beyond confused at the insanity that seemed to be revolving around the other man. This entire thing seemed to get worse by the damned second.

“Where's the kid? And don't tell me he's not here! I saw him come into this alley and the way you were looking at the door just now… you saw him.”

“I did.” Again, Sanji casually pulled a drag off his cigarette, tipping his head in a slight nod. “But, again, I assure you: no child lives here.”

“That doesn't even make any sense!” Zoro yelled at the chef, hearing his own voice echo off the sides of the alley.

“You obviously have a day shift today.” The other man went on, as if Zoro hadn't just yelled at him. He raised a foot to snub out his cigarette, tossing it in a can by the door. “Call me when your shift gets over and we will talk.”

“Oh no you don't!” Zoro reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his movements to open the door and slip away. “We are talking. Now.”

_ “Roronoa… where the fuck are you?” _ The sound of his radio going off caught him off guard and Zoro groaned at Ace's annoyed voice. Sanji managed to pull away and was back into the building before Zoro even realized he'd pulled free.

“What the hell, Portgas!” He snapped into the talkie, grounding his teeth in annoyance as he started back up the alley toward the street.

_ “Could ask you the same thing...”  _ Ace's smug tone came through clearly and Zoro rolled his eyes at it as he stepped back out onto the open street.

“Just pick me up at the Baratie.” Crossing his arms, he refused to answer the other cop until his car pulled up and he climbed in. “Just drive.” He waved a hand at the road, still utterly pissed off and confused at this entire affair. He tried to ignore Ace's snickering from the driver's seat, choosing to lean on his arm that was resting on the open window.

Zoro watched the building as they drove around it, wanting to actually get a good look at the Baratie so when he came back later, he had a good visual. He sat up straight in his seat though as they pulled around the corner into traffic, shock and confusion coursing through his system. “Don't even think of getting out of the car, Zoro...” Ace growled at him as he picked up speed.

Granted he did a lot of stupid shit, but even Zoro wasn't going to jump out of a moving vehicle. Instead, he locked eyes with the smug little brat, his grin bright and his blue irises even brighter. Giving a small wave, the officer growled loudly as they drove away; the brat's words ringing through his head. “Bye, Mossifer!”


	7. Chapter 7

He didn't call Sanji right away. No, first Zoro went home, took a shower and changed into civilian clothing. The Baratie wasn't that far from his apartment, just a short bus trip and he called the blond on his way over. Now he sat at the counter of the bar, waiting. Sanji was getting the staff set up for the dinner rush and had explained that as soon as that was done, they would talk.

Honestly, Zoro was rather annoyed at this entire thing. He'd thought about bringing his gun along, but in the end decided against it. The extra set of cuffs was a comfortable weight against his spine though. Not that he expected to have to use them. He adjusted his knit hat a bit as he watched the blond come into the room.

Sanji was stalling.

Zoro could see it. Ranging from the way he made sure the coffee was fresh in the pot, dumping almost an entire one into a carafe for the wait staff, to just brew more; to the way he waltzed about the closed off side bar room, his dress shoes clacking across the wooden flooring.

“Sit!” Zoro jabbed a finger against the smooth polished surface of the bar, glaring at the blond.

Sanji looked at him wide-eyed, moving around the bar to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Sorry, Officer Roronoa, but we will need to take this conversation to my apartment upstairs.”

He didn't answer in words, but Zoro stood, snagging his beer off the bar and motioning with that for Sanji to lead the fucking way. Enough was enough already. He was trying to give the blond a chance here, but if he didn't get some answers soon… Zoro was just gonna have to arrest him the next time he caught him, or that kid, doing something they shouldn't have been.

The chef led him through the dining room he chased the kid through then the kitchen toward that back door, hanging a left up the stairs instead of going through the back metal door. Again, the blond took his time at the top, kicking off his shoes, before walking across the open kitchen area to set his mug on the table.

Motioning for Zoro to take a seat at the table as well, Sanji easily slid into the chair opposite him, folding his hands on the table cloth and clearing his throat. “This entire thing isn't what you think it is.”

“Try me.” Zoro shot back, tipping his head to the side with an unimpressed smirk. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms and glared at the blond from under the small brim of his hat. Normally he would take it off, but he was feeling particularly annoyed right now and the shadow from the short brim most likely only intensified his stare.

If Sanji was phased by it, however, he was hiding it well.

“It's hard to explain...” The blond started, trailing off and darting his gaze to the side, looking off down the hall of the apartment.

“I can just arrest you now under the pretense that you are covering for a thief and take you to the station.” He stood up as he spoke, reaching for his cuffs and inhaling deeply.

“No!” Sanji raised a hand, panic clear in his voice and his eyes wide. Then he seemed to compose himself a little more, flicking his hair back over the one eye. “No, please, Officer. Sit.”

Zoro did so, raising an eyebrow and watching the blond. He was stressed out, it obvious in the way sweat was beading at his hairline. The chef licked at his lips, parting them to speak when a soft clicking drew both their attentions down the hall.

There was a flash of red and Zoro caught just a hint of it as something darted into one of the rooms and Sanji bolted from his chair to give chase. “Oh no you don't!” He yelled, slamming a shoulder into the door frame of the same room, disappearing from sight. “You are not going anywhere until this gets figured out, North!”

The chair tipped over backwards, Zoro stood from it so fast, growling as he ran down the short hall to follow the blond. That asshole had been lying to him the entire time and now he had them both cornered in that room. He was going to get his answers and make a couple arrests, dammit, off duty or not!


	8. Chapter 8

Zoro slammed his shoulder into the door frame as well, bouncing off it as he stood in the doorway to what appeared to be a living room. Sanji was standing by a coffee table, holding what appeared to be a fucking bird skull in his hand. The item was painted, thick lines of black, red and gold marking up the bleached white bone.

The blond had a tight grip on it, one finger holding it securely through an eye socket. Zoro's attention was drawn from that though to where the other man was pointing, finger bouncing in the air as he scolded what appeared to be a dog on the black couch.

Wait, no, that wasn't a dog at all! In fact... “Is that a fox?” Zoro practically yelped the question, which was completely shocking to even himself, but it wasn't every day you found a wild fucking animal in some guy's apartment either! Sanji turned to him wide-eyed and the damned fox made its move.

The freaking thing jumped at Sanji, knocking the skull from his hand. The blond cried out, more from shock than fear or pain, that much Zoro knew, but the cop was still moving. He was down in the living room, grabbing Sanji by the shoulder and pulling him back. He wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation, but he knew that the two of them getting away from the wild animal was certainly a plus. He would deal with why Sanji had a fox in his house later.

“No, wait!” The blond was pushing at Zoro's shoulder, one arm outstretched toward the animal. He seemed frantic as they both watched the animal pick up the skull on its path toward the open window. Looking back at them, Zoro could have sworn he saw those amber eyes glow before the fucking thing jumped out the window. “Fuck!”

Sanji groaned as he pushed off Zoro, fleeing from the room to move further down the hall. Zoro was right on his tail as the blond entered another room, his bedroom from the looks of it, moving to a bookshelf that was right near the door. “What the fuck?” Zoro narrowed his eyes at him.

“Oh, it's still here. Okay, they'll be back. You just startled them. I told you it scared easily.” The blond glared at him as if this entire thing was his fault.

Zoro pulled his cuffs from where he had them hidden at his back and held them up for Sanji to see. “You have three seconds to explain to me why you have a wild animal living in your house before I arrest you. I'm sure there is some law somewhere that prohibits housing of wild animals. Besides that, you're with in city limits and run a fucking restaurant! There  _ has _ to be health codes against this!”

“There is.” Sanji let his shoulders drop. “I actually had to get rid of the cat I had. But...!” He held up his hand to stop Zoro's advance on him. The blond backed up into the desk that was deeper in the room and glanced over his shoulder to another doorway. Zoro followed his gaze, making sure it wasn't an escape, but it only appeared to be a bathroom.

Sanji swallowed, meeting Zoro's eyes before he looked away. “It's a long story. Would you put the handcuffs away? I'm not going to run. This is my house after all.” Running a hand through his hair, the blond sighed. “I need my coffee.”

Zoro bit his tongue, but let Sanji pass him, staying close enough so that if the man did try to run, he could just tackle the blond and cuff him. He could always call the station to have someone come pick him up to take him there.

He watched as Sanji picked up his cup, holding the mug between both hands and taking a sip. His eyes strayed down the hall where the living room was. Clearing his throat, Sanji took a deep breath. “It all started when I asked a lady out on a date...”


	9. Chapter 9

Zoro tried to stay patient as Sanji prattled on about how beautiful some stupid chick he took on a date was. Honestly, he could have cared less. Slamming a hand onto the table, he made the blond jump as he snarled at him. “I don't give a fuck about your date. How the hell did you come to have a fucking fox in your house?”

“You're not very nice when you're off duty.” The blond quipped back at him, taking a sip of his coffee. “I am getting to that.”

“Get there faster. For fuck's sake, I should have arrested you a fucking hour ago!”

“Okay, okay,” setting his cup down, Sanji took a deep breath. “Please don't arrest me, Officer Roronoa, then who is going to look after North? They’re harmless, really. It is in it’s nature to be like that. They can't help it.”

“Is this the fox or your son we are talking about?” Zoro growled at him. He could feel a headache forming. Why did he always get a headache when talking to this guy?

“Neither,” Sanji started and Zoro  _ really _ wanted to punch this jackass in the mouth. Clearing his throat, the blond took a deep breath. “Do you believe in the supernatural?”

Oh here we go, another one of these freaks. Inhaling deeply, then sighing, Zoro drummed his fingers on the table. “Not really, but let's hear it.”

“The lady I brought on the date wasn't exactly the lovely female I thought her to be. I brought her back here to make her dinner, that's kinda what I do.” Shrugging, Sanji pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and pulled one from the slightly crumpled pack. “Mind if I smoke? I don't know why I'm asking, it is my house.”

“Whatever.” Zoro waved a hand. “Just keep talking. You've yet to convince me you aren't fucking bat-shit crazy here, Mister Black.”

“Such language for a cop,” Talking with the stick between his lips, Sanji lit up and grinned around the blazing tip. “I like it.”

Zoro rolled his eyes, letting his annoyance be clear. “Hitting on me won't save you.” He spoke bluntly, sneering when the blond choked on his lungful of smoke.

Coughing and waving a hand, Sanji finally managed to suck in a breath. “Anyway,” he shot Zoro a glare, but continued speaking. “I cooked an extravagant dinner for the two of us and she seemed very pleased with it, eating till her heart's content. I was beside myself at her appetite...”

“That's great; really.”

“Would you stop interrupting me?”

“Your story is going nowhere!”

“It is to!” Sanji snapped at Zoro before paling and lowering his voice. “I went to the kitchen to bring us dessert, but when I returned, she was gone.” Oh, this was priceless. As much as Zoro hated this dragged out bullshit, knowing that the girl walked out on Sanji brought some sort of pleasing triumph to Zoro. “Instead,” the blond tapped ash into the tray on the table and kept talking. “There was a ball sitting in her chair and a fox curled up under the table, fast asleep.”

“So your date ditched the fox on you?”

“No,” Sanji hissed, getting up from the table and slamming the cigarette between his lips. “She  _ was _ the fox! And I had just unknowingly outwitted it!”


	10. Chapter 10

Now where was he going? Turning as he hissed out that last sentence, Sanji turned back down the hall, headed for his room. Sighing, Zoro moved to follow, but the blond called back up to him. “I am just grabbing a book, Officer. I will be right back.”

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, as he hadn't shown any signs of running, Zoro sat back down and tapped his fingers against the table once more. What a way to spend his afternoon. If he didn't end up booking this crazy fuck, he was going to buy some liquor and go home to get drunk in his underwear. Sounded like a decent enough plan.

Sanji came back with a book in hand, setting it on the table and opening it before sitting back down. Turning it so Zoro could read it upright, he tapped at the page. “What I had unknowingly stumbled upon was a Kitsune. It's a Japanese...”

“I know what it is.” Zoro interrupted.

“You just said you don't believe in this stuff.”

“Just because I don't believe in it doesn't mean I don't know about it. Don't even think to try and tell me that you think that fox is a Kitsune.” Zoro snorted back a laugh. Oh, this was getting good. It was totally worth it now. This blond really was bat-shit crazy!

“It  _ is _ a Kitsune. It has three tails and it's star ball is in my room.” Sanji flung an arm behind him back down the hall. “Can I finish now?”

“By all means,” Zoro tipped his head in a nod. “As if I don't think you are crazy enough as it is.”

Sanji rolled his eyes, but inhaled to keep talking and snubbed his cigarette in the tray. “So, I pick up this ball, it's like some sort of clear glass and has this red and gold dust almost swirling around inside.”

“Weren't you concerned your date vanished and left you with a fox?”

“You would think, yes, but for some reason all I cared about was this ball. So, like I said, I picked it up and sat in the chair, just watching it.” The tone of Sanji's voice grew almost mystified as he raised his hands off the table to mimic holding this ball. “I must have sat there all night! Before I knew it, the fox was awake and just staring at me. Golden eyes trained on the ball in my hands with all three tails fanned out behind it.”

Zoro knew the story. Obtain a Kitsune's star ball and it would grant you something. Narrowing his eyes at Sanji slightly, the cop chose his words carefully. “What did you do with the ball?”

“I gave it back!” The blond slammed both hands to the table and sat up straight in his chair. “The last thing I needed was some weird ass mutated fox trying to kill me.”

“But it didn't leave?”

“No, the bastard,” Sanji scoffed and crossed his arms. “It followed me up here and refuses to leave. Says they sticks around because I feed them. Granted my food is second to none, but I can't have them shedding all over the place.”

“Does it shed?” Okay, yup. Crazy blond was crazy.

“Naw...” Sanji shook his head. “North did leave that ball all over the place, so I stashed it on the bookshelf in the bedroom. It's safe back there. And I keep that skull on the coffee table with the window open for them so they can come and go as they pleases. I don't really know what North does when they’re not here, but they’re a scaredy cat, that's for sure.” Chuckling lowly, Sanji shook his head.

“I know it's hard to believe, Officer Roronoa, but I am telling you the truth. North is harmless in their pranks and you terrified it the other morning. Didn't leave the house again till that night and...” Sanji stopped talking and his eyes grew wide before he burst out laughing.

“What in the hell is so funny?” Zoro barked, his headache coming into full effect now.

The blond almost fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard. What in the fuck could have suddenly been that funny? Zoro had no idea, but it was pissing him off more than anything. Trying to calm himself, small bouts of laughter still slipping through, Sanji wiped at his eyes and sighed. “The damned business card!”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, bringing this back from the grave XD

“The business card?” Zoro curled his lip in confusion, gripping at the edge of the table with both hands. The hell had this fucker gone off on… oh.  _ That _ business card. Huffing, Zoro crossed his arms as the blond finally calmed his laughter.

“Ah, I’m sorry, just you’re the first person besides me that North has actually been able to trick!”

Bristling at the comment, the officer jumped to his own defense. “He didn’t trick me! The little shit stole it from me at the bar!” Snapping his jaw shut, Zoro simply stared wide eyed at Sanji for a moment.

The blond was staring back at him with the same expression. “So you  _ do  _ believe me?”

“I, uh, I don’t know.” Zoro admitted. As insane as magic and all that crap was to believe, he couldn’t explain how he’d seen a three tailed fox jump out a window. Sanji’s story, as insane as it sounded, made sense if he let himself believe that Kitsune were real. He’d never seen one, but that was the point of it. You weren’t supposed to see them in their fox forms, but in their human forms, if he remembered the stories he’d grew up on correctly.

The more tails one had, the older it was, too.

“Here, let me call North home. Hopefully they will listen.” Sanji’s tone grew quiet as he once again stood from the table. “I will be right back, Officer. I just simply need to touch the ball and speak their name.”

“This is insane,” Zoro muttered under his breath.

“I know.” Sanji gave him a brief smile. “I thought so at first as well, but I have been living with North for over a year now.” The blond walked off down the hall and ducked back into his bedroom. With a deep sigh, Zoro sat back in his chair and rubbed at his neck. This was entirely unbelievable, yet he had all the reason in the world to believe it.

Sanji came back a moment later and picked up his coffee cup. “Can I offer you something to eat? I can go ask the chefs downstairs to make us something while we wait.” Zoro looked up at Sanji and raised an eyebrow at him. Sanji rolled his eyes. “I’m not attempting to hit on you again, Officer. I am offering you a warm meal while we wait for North to come home. Who knows how far they have gotten.”

Zoro bit at his lip as to not groan out loud. Sanji believed this wholeheartedly and Zoro was hesitant to break his little bubble. Instead he nodded, picking up his beer and taking a sip. “Yeah, dinner sounds good, Sanji. But your little Kitsune better make an appearance.”


	12. Chapter 12

Sanji made a couple trips up and down the stairs to the kitchen while Zoro remained at the dining room table. The blond was a relatively good host, if Zoro was going to give him any credit at all, and made sure that the officer had everything that he needed. The two had just sat down to eat, plates of something fancily named— looked like chicken and rice to Zoro— when there came a small thump from the living room and a head of blond hair peeked out around the doorway.

“Sanji?” The voice sounded small, almost afraid and Sanji set down his glass of wine to look down the hall.

“You need to come here, North.” Sanji’s tone was firm but calm. The little kid shook his head and ducked partly back into the livingroom. “North,” Sanji started again. “You need to come and apologize to Officer Roronoa.”

“He chased me.”

Sanji looked over to Zoro, who shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I did. He was out running the streets at four-thirty in the morning. Damn right I chased him. Little shit escaped, too.” Zoro snapped his jaw shut and simply stared at Sanji as the blond smirked at him.

“Told you, you would believe me,” he whispered for the two of them to hear. Then he turned back to the little blond. “I have chicken and rice, North.”

The little boy stepped out into the hall and sniffed at the air. “Is it the one with the mushrooms in it?”

“Yup.” Sanji nodded and got up from the table, moving over to the cabinet and pulling a small bowl down. Retrieving a spoon from the dish drain, he sat back at the table. “It’s still warm. You can have some of mine if you come sit and apologize.”

North seemed to hesitate in the doorway before stepping fully into the hall. Sanji ignored him as he scooped some of his food into the bowl and sat it in front of the chair at the end of the table between Zoro and Sanji. The moment the bowl touched the wooden table top, North came scrambling down the hall and he grabbed at it as soon as he got close enough.

“No,” Sanji moved the bowl from his grabbing hands and held it up in the air over his head. “What do you say to Officer Roronoa?”

Zoro wanted to laugh, but it died in his throat when the little boy growled at Sanji, eyes flashing red as his hands snapped into fists. He bared small fangs at the larger blond, but Sanji didn’t seemed phased in the slightest. “Don’t even start, North. You caused him a lot of trouble and it’s not nice to mess with people like that.”

The little blond huffed and crossed his arms over his chest in a pout. His, now red, eyes slid over to Zoro and eyed his plate. Zoro could practically see the young kid drooling from where he stood. Sanji spoke his name again, tone stern and Zoro watched as North mentally fought with himself. “I’m sorry,” he started, voice low and he dropped his head slightly as well. “I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. You scared me and then you chas—”

“That’s enough, North.” Sanji set the bowl down and the little blond jumped on it, grabbing it up in his hands and turned back toward the hall. “No.” Reaching out, Sanji grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “You can eat here with us.”

“But Sanji!” North tried to jerk out of Sanji’s grasp, pausing as he looked down at the bowl in his hands. With a frown, the little boy shrugged Sanji off and placed the bowl back on the table before climbing into the chair. “I don’t wanna sit here with him though,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Don’t worry, kid,” Zoro looked over at North. He wasn’t sure exactly what to believe at this point, but Sanji’s story was checking out, if he wanted to believe that the fables of the Kitsune were true. “I don’t want to sit by Sanji either. Ow!” Zoro jerked his foot back as Sanji kicked him in the ankle.

He threw a glare at the chef, but he simply smirked back. “You’re off duty and I haven’t seen your badge yet. Can’t get me on harassment of an officer. I know my rights.”

“You’re a smart-mouthed little fucker,” Zoro growled out, simply receiving another smirk in answer as Sanji picked up his wine glass.

“Yet, here you sit at my table, having dinner with me and my Kitsune.”

“I’m not yours,” North commented around a mouth full of food. “I still have my pearl.”

“It’s in my room, isn’t it?” Sanji shot back, raising a curled brow at the boy, who now sat quietly at the end of the table. “And your skull has become my coffee table center piece.”

“I just like living here with you!” North chirped happily.

Sanji rolled his eyes and set his wineglass down. “You just like my food. Can’t blame you, though.”

Zoro snorted as he took a drink of his beer. If someone had told him this was how his day was going to end, he would have laughed in their face. As it were, he still wasn’t sure he believed it, even with the proof sitting at the end of the table having dinner with him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think I have an idea of where I want this to go now.

Zoro sat at his desk, mulling over how to handle that whole thing with Sanji and North. He never officially opened a case on it, so it would be really simple to just turn his back on it and forget it ever happened. That being said, the higher ups around the office had asked why he’d needed to go to that side of town a couple times the week before.

“Just tell them you got lost,” Ace had chuckled as they crossed paths on their shifts a couple days ago. Zoro had not appreciated the remark, but now, he was possibly thinking of using the simple excuse to just not have to file tons of paperwork. It was the fucking worst! With a groan, he dropped his head against his desk, the thud his head made sounding loud in his office.

This was the worst night of his week! All other nights, and his day shift, he got to be out on the streets or riding around in a cruiser, but there had to be one night a week where he was stuck at his desk doing paperwork.

“Hey, Roronoa!” One of the front desk guys called back to him and Zoro picked his head up, pulling the piece of paper off his forehead that had stuck there.

“Yeah?” He called loudly, not really wanting to get up from his chair. He really didn’t want to deal with their bullshit either.

“There’s, uh, someone here to see you.” A head popped into his doorway. “It’s some kid. Says his dad sent him.”

“The fuck?” Zoro wrinkled his nose in confusion. “Yeah, send him back. Kind of late for a kid to be out though. It’s not an emergency or anything?”

“We asked. He said ‘no.’ Won’t say anything else though. I’ll get him.”

Zoro jerked his head in a nod and watched through his open door. It only took him a second to figure out who it could be when around the corner came the front desk cop with North in tow. The Kitsune was in his little kid form, cradling a brown paper bag in his arms. His eyes were wide as he looked around, but as soon as he spotted Zoro, they lit up and he ran past the officer to him.

Zoro waved the other man away before he turned his attention to North. His eyes were still wide and his mouth slightly open. “What do you want, you little shit?” Probably not the smartest thing to say to a magical creature, but Zoro was pretty sure it wouldn’t matter anyway.

North frowned at him, before plopping the bag on the corner of his desk. “Sanji mentioned making you food again. And I brought you some.”

“Oh yeah?” Zoro grabbed the bag and opened it, looking over to North as the kid scrambled into one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. “Does Sanji know you have it? If you stole it from him, I’m going to take you back and make you return it to him.”

“I don’t steal from Sanji.” North stuck his tongue out at Zoro and crossed his arms.

“Whatever.” Zoro muttered under his breath. “Fine. What did you make?” Peering into the bag, Zoro found what appeared to be a couple wrapped sandwiches and a note. He pulled it out and opened the folded piece of paper.

_ Thought you might like something edible instead of the precinct’s crappy cafeteria food. And while North did help me make this; yes, I am flirting with you again. _

Zoro jerked his head up to look at North, who simply grinned back, something sly and fox-like in his smile. “You looked at this, didn’t you?”

“His number is on there, too.” The blond slid from his chair and ran for the door. “See you at dinner, Mossifer!”

Zoro frowned at the stupid name, watching as the Kitsune ran for the front door. That fucking blond. Zoro looked back to the note, finding Sanji’s number at the bottom. Looking at the clock on the wall, he wondered if the blond would be up at this hour or if he should wait until his shift got over in the morning. Maybe he would stop by the Baratie for breakfast. It was on his way home after all. Well, sort of.


	14. Chapter 14

Breakfast it was.

He’d never actually been inside the Baratie during one of it’s rushes and Zoro sort of stood awkwardly just inside the door as he looked around the place. There were several wait staff running around and the hum of voices was loud across the large open dining room.

Zoro was about to just say “fuck it” and come back later when a young woman walked up to the podium near the door and smiled at him. “Good morning! Just yourself this morning?”

“Uh…” Zoro started, blinking and shaking his head to clear it. “Yes. I actually came to see Sanji, is he around?”

“Chef’s on the line right now. I can show you to a table and let him know you are here, if you’d like.”

“Please.” Zoro nodded and followed the woman as she led him through the room to a small table by the large fireplace. It wasn’t lit, but from the smell of it, it was used on a regular basis. Taking his seat, Zoro thanked the hostess and took the offered menu, setting it down and pulling the blond’s note from his jacket pocket. He read over the scripted words, debating with himself if he really wanted to do this or not. Too late, he figured, slipping the paper back into his pocket as a young man came up to him and asked if he’d like some coffee.

The waiter took Zoro’s breakfast order then as well and Zoro finally pulled off his jacket, settling in to wait for Sanji and sipping at his coffee once it had arrived. The coffee was just what he needed after a long and boring night, even with North’s little visit and the food he’d carried along with him.

Zoro was just raising his cup to his mouth when the kitchen doors banged open and Sanji half stepped through, one hand holding the swinging door open while the other was holding a plate. Zoro could only assume it was his breakfast as he smirked into his cup at how Sanji was getting shit from his kitchen crew about taking breaks to go flirt with customers. “I should fire the lot of ya!” He barked before stepping away from the door and quickly scanning the room in search of Zoro.

The blond’s eyes lit up as he spotted him and he walked over, setting the plate down as he slid into the opposite seat from Zoro. “Morning, Officer Roronoa,” Sanji grinned at him. “Brought you breakfast.”

“Thanks.” Setting his cup down, Zoro picked up his fork and started in on his food as Sanji leaned his elbows on the table.

“Good, yeah? Made it myself.”

_ Of course you did, _ Zoro wanted to say, but opted for nodding instead as he chewed. Swallowing, he met the other man’s eyes. “North came to see me last night.”

“I figured as much. They said they were going to. North didn’t cause any trouble, did they?” Something flashed across those blue eyes and suddenly Zoro understood why the Kitsune liked hanging around the blond. Sanji obviously knew damned well what had transpired, especially since he’d written Zoro that note.

“No, he didn’t. Was in and out quickly. Thank fuck.” Sanji chuckled lowly, large grin still plastered across his face. “I got your note, too, so I figured I would swing in and say ‘hi’ instead of texting.”

“Honestly, a better idea. I wouldn’t have gotten it until this afternoon when I head into the office.” Sanji shifted in his seat slightly and quirked what Zoro supposed was a little bit of a flirtatious smile. “So, did my offer work?”

“I’m thinking about it,” Zoro admitted, stuffing more of his hash browns into his mouth. “I’m going to have to sleep on it.”

“Fuck you,” Sanji huffed through a small laugh. “Do you work tonight?”

“No, I don’t actually.”

“Come have dinner with me then.” Sanji reached out his hand, resting it palm up by the side of Zoro’s plate. The blond didn’t seem to care that the two of them were in the middle of a packed restaurant—  _ his _ packed restaurant— and Zoro glanced down to his hand. Sanji’s fingers curled slightly as he relaxed his hand and Zoro reached up, covering the blond’s hand with his own.

“All right, Sanji. Dinner.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been working in this a lot lately, and I am really enjoying the shortness of each chapter. It's really fun to try and pack so much into such short chapters!
> 
> Also known as "North has no filter"
> 
> I actually cracked up at the end of this chapter as it wasn't my intention to write that bit of dialogue, but once it hit the paper, it stayed. And it's beautiful.

To say Zoro was shocked to see North when he opened his front door would be an understatement. The Kitsune was standing on his front porch in his fox form, front legs spread and head down, golden eyes watching him from under his bird skull. His three tails fanned out behind him and Zoro actually jumped before he realized who and what it was.

Closing his door, he frowned down at the beast. “You can’t go parading around like that, you’re going to be seen.”

“I came to get you.” North’s voice was very different in this form than what Zoro was used to. The normally light and bubbly tone of a child was replaced with something that both seemed to somehow be growled out and whispered at the same time. Zoro had never heard anything like it and had no idea how to explain it other than that.

“Why?” Zoro scrunched his nose, even as North shifted to sit on his haunches, tipping his head to the side as his ears swiveled forward. “I am perfectly capable of getting to the Baratie myself. Besides, I didn’t think you liked me.”

“Sanji likes you.” North blinked slowly, his eyes glowing brightly from within his skull.

“Right. Okay.” Zoro nodded to himself and stepped past North, trotting down his steps. He could hear the Kitsune’s claws clacking on his porch as the beast turned and Zoro stopped on his front walk, sighing as he tipped his head back toward the sky. “If you are going to walk with me, you can not look like that.”

There was a very unhappy snort behind him and as Zoro turned around, he watched as twelve year-oldish North trotted down his steps. “Happy?”

“I just don’t want to see animal control come pick you up.” Zoro sneered down at the little blond, watching as his blue eyes flashed red and he actually growled at Zoro. Without hesitation, he reached out and patted North on the head. “Well, come on then. I’m sure Sanji will be excited to see us both.” Despite the anger that Zoro could see, excitement sparked across North’s face and he nodded sharply, giving Zoro a large grin, pointed canines and all.

The two walked along the street in silence and Zoro stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked over to the kid walking next to him. North remained quiet, skipping along and pausing every now and again to look at something on the sidewalk. Zoro tried to ignore the Kitsune and it was clear that despite coming to get him, North was ignoring him as well.

Zoro guessed it was easier that way. He didn’t really hold a grudge against the beast, knowing what he was, but they really hadn’t gotten off on the right foot either. Chasing him around the city at stupid-fuck in the morning kinda had that effect.

“Are you and Sanji going to mate?”

Zoro choked on his own spit at the question and looked bewildered down to North, whose head was tipped up in genuine curiosity. He wondered how old North really was as he only had three of his tails and still acted like a child instead of the powerfully magical beast that fable and lore told he should have been. “That’s… okay, well; two things: That’s none of your business and we just met.”

“But this one time he had a girl over for dinner and afterward—”

“Holy shit, North! Shut up! I really don’t need to know about Sanji’s past flings. No, okay, no, we are not going to, uh, mate.” Zoro could feel his face flush and he couldn’t believe he was actually having this conversation. “ It’s called sex, by the way.” The Baratie couldn’t come into view fast enough.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a lull chapter, but here we go!

The two hadn’t gone more than a couple hundred more feet when around the corner came a man walking his dog. North instantly jumped behind Zoro, tripping him up as he did. The young kid grabbed at Zoro’s jacket, growling lowly. “What is your problem?” Zoro asked, raising his arm so he could see the head of blond hair better.

“I don’t like dogs,” North growled out, gripping tighter to Zoro’s clothes and pressing himself closer to his leg as the dog and its owner approached.

“They aren’t going to hurt you.” Zoro frowned down at the kid, who genuinely seemed scared before he remembered. “Oh,” he breathed out. “That’s right. Dogs are like your natural enemies or some shit.”

“Make them go away, Mossifer.” North looked up at him, blue eyes full of fear and flashing red.

Zoro reached out, pressing a hand between North’s shoulders and keeping him close. He knew part of his reaction was simply from being a police officer, but for whatever reason, the other part of it was his want to actually help North. Yeah, the Kitsune was annoying, but that didn’t give Zoro the right to knowingly push the little guy into harm.

The dog and his owner paid them no attention other than to give them a wide berth as they walked past them. Zoro watched them walk by before glancing back down to North once more. “Your tails are showing,” he chuckled lowly.

North stood as straight as he could with his eyes wide. He must have really been scared for him to let cracks slip in the magic that held his form. With another small laugh, Zoro ruffled the blond’s hair. “There, they are gone now. You okay?”

North nodded sharply, before looking over his shoulder to the man and his dog. He let out another low growl, one small fist still clenching at Zoro’s jacket. “I just really hate dogs.”

“Come on, the Baratie is at the end of this street and I’m sure Sanji is expecting us both for dinner, isn’t he?”

Yeah!” North’s eyes lit up, the blue sparkling in the low light of the evening. They looked just like Sanji’s and Zoro had to remind himself that with North, it was just a facade. The Kitsune may have looked like the blond chef, but that was simply because of how the beast’s magic worked. It wasn’t Sanji at all. “He said he would make me rice to go with everything else!”

“What’s he making?”

“Oh no!” North jumped out in front of him, his tails swishing to the side before disappearing once more. “I promised Sanji I wouldn’t tell you, it’s a surprise. But,” he started and Zoro didn’t miss the spark of mischief in his eyes. “I  _ could _ tell you…”

“Keep walking.” Zoro grabbed the kid by his shoulders and spun him, pushing him forward as he moved them both down the sidewalk. “If it’s a secret, you are not going to bribe me into getting you to tell me. I’m onto you now, no more tricking me.”

“You and Sanji are no fun!” North pouted as he crossed his arms. “I can’t trick him anymore either!”

“That’s because you live with him. Come on, there’s the Baratie. Let’s go.” Zoro let go of North to stuff his hands in his pockets once more. The restaurant was lit up, waiting for the night to settle in and Zoro wondered just what affect his coming to have a private dinner with Sanji was going to do to his restaurant. He was sure the blond had everything under control, but still Zoro couldn’t help but wonder how his presence was affecting the other man’s livelihood.

What was he getting into here?


	17. Chapter 17

North threw open the metal door and ran up the stairs, yelling for Sanji as he did so. Zoro was a bit calmer about it, closing the door behind himself and walking up the stairs quietly. The smells of the kitchen downstairs were hinting through the wooden door at the base of the stairs, but the higher in his climb to Sanji’s apartment he got, the more Zoro could smell whatever it was that Sanji had made.

He couldn’t place it exactly, but already the smells were, were making his mouth water and as he rounded the top of the stairs, starting to pull his jacket off, he peeked around the doorframe to see Sanji and North in the kitchen. The Kitsune had climbed onto one of the stools by the island counter, leaning forward on a hand as he reached for something on the far side of the counter by Sanji. The older blond simply looked at him and North sat back on his stool huffing. “I told you to wait, didn’t I?”

“But I’m hungry, Sanji! And you said I only had to wait until Mossifer was here.”

“Leaving him at the bottom of the stairs wasn’t really nice either, by the way.” Sanji frowned at the smaller blond as Zoro hung his jacket up and finally stepped into the room. Sanji picked up a glass, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was letting his eyes trail over Zoro. It made his cheeks heat up, but Zoro pushed it from his mind and told himself that this was the reason he had even come here. “Evening, Zoro.” Sanji spoke lowly, his voice smooth and suave.

“Hi,” he breathed out, quirking one corner of his mouth into a smile. “How was your day?”

“Just fine, spent the afternoon doing paperwork before coming up here to cook us dinner.” Sanji took a sip of whatever it was that was in his glass, water or some other clear liquid, before setting it back on the counter. “How’d you sleep?”

“Same as any other day,” Zoro replied with a shrug. He walked over to the island and sat down on the other bar stool, placing his hands on the counter as he did. “What are you making?”

“Ah,” Sanji grinned at him and held up a hand. “Something I haven’t made in a long time actually.” Zoro met Sanji’s eyes, barely having time to recognize the excitement in them before the blond launched into a tirade of what it was he’d cooked. Zoro only caught about half of it, but from the smells alone, he was sure he was going to enjoy it.

“Oh shit,” Sanji slammed his hands onto the counter and stood straight at one point. “I forgot! You got me sidetracked; do you want a drink? I can run downstairs and get you a beer if you want one.”

“Can I have one?” North asked and Sanji looked over at him, shock clear in his expression.

“No.”

“But I’ve had it before. You’ve given it to me.”

“Yeah, that was before I realized you were a magical fox monster.” Sanji shot back at him and Zoro saw the little guy’s shoulders drop. Sanji sucked in a breath. “Ah, I’m sorry, North, but the answer is still no.”

“You do realize that North is like, at least, three hundred, right, Sanji?” Zoro snapped his jaw shut after he spoke, really not believing he just came to the defense of his biggest headache for the last week.

Both blonds turned to look at him, each with a very different reaction on their faces. Sanji was on the verge of betrayal and Zoro was pretty sure the chef expected him to be on his side. North was grinning from ear to ear, his pointed canines clear as day. “Thank you, Mossifer,” he dipped his head in a small nod and turned to look at Sanji, triumph oozing off of him.

Sanji, still at a loss for words, smacked a hand against his forehead with a groan. “Okay, okay, but just one, you understand, North? One.” The Kitsune nodded sharply as Sanji rounded the counter and disappeared down the stairs. North turned to look at Zoro, grin still plastered on his face. Zoro wasn’t sure if he wanted to count this as a victory or not.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to try for a chapter a day until the new year. Yeah, it may only be a few days, but it keeps me writing!

Dinner was pretty good, ironically. Sanji had actually made something really simple, despite his elaborate explanation of it. Given how fancy of a restaurant he ran, making a roast with herb mashed potatoes and vegetables was extremely below what his work normally entailed, but the blond seemed to highly be enjoying that fact. North had his bowl of rice, swapped out for the potatoes and the three of them were able to sit down and enjoy the meal together.

Sanji kept making little comments, asking if Zoro was enjoying the food and just generally trying to learn more about him and Zoro found he was excited to give the information, as well as trying to find things out about Sanji as well. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date he’d wanted to go on and Zoro was finding this much more relaxing than the crazy shit Ace would occasionally drag him to.

North slid from his chair just as Sanji was finishing telling Zoro about an accidental discovery of what was now one of the Baratie’s finest dishes. “Where are you going?” Picking up his wine glass, Sanji raised an eyebrow at the Kitsune.

Grabbing his plate off the table, North shrugged a shoulder. “Out. I’m sick of listening to you drool over Mossifer.”

Sanji almost spit his mouthful of wine back into the glass as the Kitsune’s words, but managed to swallow instead. “I swear North, you’re such a headache.”

“But you’re stuck with me until I decide to leave.” There was a small clatter as the plate and bowl landed in the bottom of the sink and North came back to push his chair in, grinning madly at them both. Zoro narrowed his eyes at the small blond, not liking the spark that flashed across his eyes. “I can stay out all night, if you want, Sanji, that way you can mate with him.”

“North!” Sanji practically shrieked and Zoro just groaned as he dropped his face into his hands. That damned little shit. Really, he should have known North would say something like that to Sanji, especially after saying it to him earlier in the evening. “Tha— That’s— I  _ cannot  _ believe you said that!”

“I can.” Zoro threw a glare at the cackling beast as he turned and waved a hand over his shoulder. As he walked down the hall, he transformed into his fox form, his tails fanned out behind him. He looked at them both one more time, his eyes glowing from under his skull before he disappeared into the living room and presumably out the window.

Zoro looked back to Sanji as he heard the blond thunk his head against the table. “I am so sorry, Zoro,” the chef mumbled to his lap. “I should have known they would say something like that.”

“It’s okay,” Zoro started, a small chuckle between words. “He asked me that same thing on the way over. He’s actually really protective of you.”

“I’m well aware of that. See, the thing is,” Sanji picked his head back up and Zoro had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the red mark on his forehead from where he hit his head. “North… North’s sort of like a permanent part of my life now.”

“Clearly,” Zoro rolled his eyes.

“No, not like that, Zoro.” Sanji shook his head, the look on his face almost confused, as if he really didn’t believe his own words as he was saying them. “Part of the agreement we came to, that I didn’t tell you before, is that we both sort of look out for one another.”

“How so?” Zoro leaned his elbows on the table around his plate, actually curious to what it was Sanji was talking about. Despite not previously believing in them, he still knew a lot about Kitsune, but he wasn’t sure what Sanji meant.

“This whole thing with North is just so weird.” Sanji waved a hand as he shook his head. “I never believed in this sort of thing. Then it happened, and the more time North and I spend together, the clearer it all becomes.”

“You’re not making sense again, Sanji.” Zoro raised his eyebrow, a playful smirk quirking one side of his mouth. “Am I going to have to arrest you?”

“Did you—” Sanji paused and stared at him. “Did you just hit on me?” Zoro simply shrugged, but he was still grinning as he waited for Sanji to gather himself and continue on with his story.


	19. Chapter 19

Sanji leaned back in his chair, laughter bubbling through his words as he spoke. “Holy shit. Now I have seen everything.”

“Just keep on with your story, Sanji.” Zoro bobbed his head in a nod, dropping his arm onto the tabletop and resting his chin in his other palm. “What about North?”

The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair before he dropped his arm to the table as well. Zoro calmly reached out with his own hand, taking advantage of the fact they were now alone and grasped ahold of Sanji’s hand. Sanji looked down to their hands and cleared his throat, squeezing Zoro’s fingers in between his own. “North is more than a lost Kitsune I happened to trick.”

“I can see that, Sanji.” Zoro spoke lowly. Sanji seemed a bit nervous now and Zoro couldn’t explain why. All the other times they had talked about North, even when Sanji first told him about the Kitsune, Sanji had always been confident and sure of his words. Now there was a hesitation and Zoro didn’t quite know how to react to it.

“Shit, I don’t even know why I am telling this to you. You probably think I’m crazy.”

“About as crazy as you were last week when you were telling me about North and hitting on me while I was actually working.” Sanji shot him a glare, even as he smiled. “So, tell me, what can be more crazy than a Kitsune?”

“There’s a small section in that book I showed you about some of the lesser known things Kitsune are able to do.”

“Okay.” Zoro dragged the word out slightly, encouraging Sanji to continue. The blond almost seemed as relieved as he was nervous about finally telling someone about North and having them believe him. Zoro hadn’t at first, of course, but he had a feeling he wasn’t the first person Sanji had tried to talk to about North.

“Along with being the tricksters they are, some of them also become friends with their— victims, let’s say. And in rare cases they even stick around to become that person’s guardian.”

“Guardian?” Zoro repeated the word. That, he had to admit, was something he’d never heard of a Kitsune doing before.

“Yes,” Sanji sighed and leaned back in his chair once more. “It didn’t start that way, but as the months passed and things became, I don’t know, more normal, I guess; it happened.”

“That’s the real reason he won’t leave, isn’t it? Any why he so generously came to get me?” Zoro asked, shifting his hand to link Sanji’s fingers with his own.

“Yes,” Sanji breathed out and Zoro could see the tension drain from his person. “North really did stay for my cooking at first, but I’ve sheltered and protected them for the past year as much as they have done the same for me. It’s usually just the two of us here and we have been able to do a lot of talking, and looking out for one another. You are just another incident in the list North has created.”

“Thanks,” Zoro crinkled his nose in slight annoyance at being put into this general list of occurrences that Sanji needed to keep protecting North from.

“I don’t mean it like that.” Sanji shook his head. “Just our first meeting, when I just tried to get you to go away; I fucked up, honestly. I shouldn’t have yelled to North up the stairs. That tipped you off.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Zoro could only nod in agreement. “But because of you deciding to protect him, North has done so in return?”

“Apparently. I didn’t even realize it at first. I just did things that I thought would be helpful for them. Moving the starball into my room so it was safe and covering for North when they would accidentally be seen. Most people don’t believe you when you tell them the child copy of yourself is actually a magical creature.”

Zoro rubbed his free hand down his face. “I see it and I don’t know if I still believe you, Sanji. I can understand your want to not tell people.”

“Most of my staff thinks I’m crazy, too.” The blond gave him a fleeting smile, even if it was a bit sadder than some of the others Zoro had seen that night. “Thanks, Zoro.”

“For?”

“Just listening; believing me, I guess. I don’t really get to talk to people about North. It’s nice to actually be able to have a conversation about my weird little live-in guardian and not sound completely crazy.”

“Well, you  _ are _ bat-shit crazy, Sanji.”

Sanji clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Thanks, really.”


	20. Chapter 20

Zoro chuckled, squeezing Sanji’s hand once more before pulling away. “Where does he go when he just leaves?”

“Honestly,” Sanji sighed and stood up, collecting his plate and walking over to the sink. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think they just go to the park a few blocks from here, but I know other nights North goes and causes trouble. Again,” Sanji flung an arm out toward Zoro as he walked back to pick up one of the serving platters off the table. “Case in point. They were— stealing, you said— when you caught them and then North tricked you in the bar.”

Zoro’s face dropped as he stood to help Sanji clear the table. “How do you know—”

“North told me,” Sanji sighed as Zoro rounded the island to set his tray down. “They are quite proud of that, you know. When I questioned North about it, they sat on my table, puffing out their chest, tails fanned out and went into great detail about how they tricked ‘Mossifer.”

“Ugh,” Zoro rolled his eyes.

“I think the nickname is going to stick, Zoro.” Sanji grinned at him. “It could be a lot worse, trust me. Some of the other people I have had to deal with North has amazing names for. Little shit is creative, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, he is.” Zoro had to nod in agreement to that. North was sly and cunning just like a real fox was. Only having the added intelligence of being magical made the Kitsune possibly dangerous. “You still need to keep an eye on him though.”

Sanji snorted back a laugh at Zoro. “Who do you think you are now, the  _ magical creature _ police? I have been keeping an eye on North for a year now. Trust me, they aren’t as bad now as when they first showed up.”

“I could be, ya know.” Zoro fell in next to Sanji as the blond started to clean up dinner, organizing the silverware and dishes to be washed as well as putting the leftovers in their own containers to go into the fridge. “I think I have the experience.”

“Because you’ve spent two weeks around an already tame Kitsune?” Sanji glanced over to Zoro before he went back to the food. Zoro noticed a slight blush color his cheeks. “You don’t have to help me with this.”

“True, but I’m going to.” Zoro leaned over and bumped his shoulder against Sanji’s. The blond looked over at him before going back to the dishes. Zoro thought it was funny that Sanji had been so bold in his flirting up until this very night. Maybe the blond hadn’t thought Zoro would accept the invitation to dinner, let alone actually show up with North around.

The two of them were quiet after that, both of them focusing on cleaning up after their meal. The leftover food went into the fridge before the two men settled themselves in front of the sink, washing, rinsing and drying the dishes. Zoro went to take a plate away from Sanji, but the blond didn’t let go and Zoro looked up to meet Sanji’s eyes. “Thank you,” he spoke quietly.

“You already thanked me.” With a grin, Zoro threw the towel he had over his shoulder with his free hand.

Sanji turned to face him slightly, pulling the plate from Zoro’s grasp and setting it in the sink. “For believing me about North, I did, yes.” Zoro couldn’t help a small smile as he watched Sanji’s cheeks turn a nice shade of pink. “But not for helping me with the dishes.”

“Oh yeah?” Zoro raised an eyebrow, silently betting with himself on what it was the blond was thinking. He was putting his drinking on the line here: getting to continue to drink in his underwear if the blond kissed him, having to put pants on if not. Zoro barely held back the frown; he really liked drinking in his underwear.

Not taking the chance to risk it, Zoro raised his hand, sliding it against the side of Sanji’s neck and leaning in for a chaste kiss before pulling away and resting his forehead against Sanji’s. The blond gave a small gasp before he kissed back, the color in his cheeks spreading across his nose and down his neck as well. “You’re welcome, Sanji.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone!

“I—” Sanji met Zoro’s eyes, a hand coming up to press against Zoro’s cheek. “Why are you still here?”

“Because you asked me to come over.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Sanji frowned, but he didn’t pull away, eyes darting back and forth between Zoro’s eyes and his mouth. “You actually came over and you stayed.”

“Why wouldn’t I? Unless you actually didn’t invite me over for—” Zoro went to pull away, but Sanji’s hand fell to his shoulder, gripping tight as the blond pulled him back and kissed him again.

Sanji’s hand moved from Zoro’s shoulder up into his hair, fingers carding into the short strands as the blond tipped his head to deepen the kiss. Zoro moved with him, his other hand coming to rest at Sanji’s waist as his eyes slid closed and he simply let his sense of touch take over. The chef moved against Zoro’s movements easily, taking a step closer to him as his other hand pressed against Zoro’s chest.

The action made Zoro break the kiss, inhaling deeply as he opened his eyes to meet Sanji’s. The blue of his irises was ringed around dilating pupils and there was a dopey grin on his face. “I did,” Sanji breathed out. “I did. I was just worried you wouldn’t come because of North.”

“Oh,” Zoro chuckled with a nod. Suspicion confirmed. “That little shit isn’t going to turn me away that easily.” Closing the short distance between them once more, Zoro pressed another kiss against Sanji’s lips, lingering a moment and excited when Sanji tried to chase him when he pulled away. “Trust me.”

“North doesn’t… scare you? Not that much would scare a police officer, I don’t think.” Sanji chuckled, dropping his eyes to Zoro’s mouth again and smoothing his shirt with the hand to Zoro’s chest.

“Naw. He’s annoying, that’s for sure, but I’m certainly not scared of him.” Zoro licked at his lip and inhaled. “He’s the weirdest thing I have encountered, but really, not the scariest.”

“There are things scarier than North that roam the city?” Sanji raised an eyebrow at him, slight smirk to his lips.

“Yeah, humans. Fuckers really are bat-shit crazy.”

“You really like that word, don’t you?” Sanji rolled his eyes and hesitated a moment before breaking away. “We really should finish the dishes before the water gets cold and we have to run more.”

“Okay.” Zoro pulled the dishtowel from his shoulder. He was a bit disappointed that Sanji had decided to go back to the dishes rather than to keep kissing, but he reminded himself that the man was a chef and this sort of thing was probably of utmost importance to him.

Then, as he took a plate from Sanji, it struck him that this possibly meant they were dating now. Did one date constitute actually dating one another? Did Sanji want to date him? The idea hadn’t crossed Zoro’s mind until that very moment, but as he stole a sidelong glance at the blond, busying himself with washing North’s bowl, Zoro thought he could easily date the other man.

Sanji must have sensed his internal struggle and he looked over to Zoro as he set the bowl into the rinse water. “You okay?”

Zoro shrugged with a slight smirk. “Just thinking.”

“Oh? About what?” Sanji turned back to wash the last cup from dinner, a small smile of his own playing at the edges of his mouth.

With a sigh, Zoro leaned his hip against the counter and reached out to Sanji, cupping his hand against the blond’s far cheek and making him turn his head to look at Zoro. The chef’s eyes held his question as to what Zoro was up to and he simply took a deep breath as he tried to form his question. “Go out with me.”

Sanji blinked at him. “It’s kind of late, Zoro. Where would you want to go?”

“No, not like that.” Zoro chuckled, running his thumb over Sanji’s cheekbone. Zoro couldn’t explain it, but after spending the time he had with Sanji over the last couple weeks, he was kind of glad North was such a pain in the ass. “Would you go out with me? As in, I would like to see you again and not have it be because of North.”

Sanji’s cheeks instantly turned red and he tried to pull away from Zoro’s hand, but Zoro didn’t let him. Instead, the blond flicked his eyes to the island counter as he pulled his lip into his mouth and nodded ever so slightly. “I would like that, Zoro.”


	22. Chapter 22

“Roronoa, that kid is back.”

“Huh?” Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking up to the officer who had front desk duty and set his pen down. He was about to ask “what kid” when it occurred to him, it was probably North. “Send him back, it’s okay.”

“Why is he out so late? He seems kinda young.” The other officer wrinkled his nose as he spoke and Zoro knew he was searching for information.

“Just send him back here. He came to a police station for fuck’s sake. If it’s that big of a deal to you, take him home afterward.”

“I can’t,” the other man scoffed. “I have to watch the front.”

“You’re doing a shitty job of it right now. Go get him.” Zoro waved a hand. “His name is North by the way!” He yelled after the guy, chuckling to himself when the officer flipped him off. Zoro watched him disappear around the corner and a moment later, North ran around it with a large grin on his face.

“Mossifer!” He yelled, practically jumping into the chair that sat opposite of Zoro and shouldering off the backpack he was wearing. “When are you coming back?”

Zoro picked up his pen, raising an eyebrow at North. “You just want to drink again.”

“That  _ was _ pretty good, for being just beer. I used to trick people into giving me much different tasting stuff. It made me feel funny before getting really sleepy, but it was good.” North tapped his chin in thought before shrugging. “Anyway, Sanji made you food again.”

“Is this going to become a weekly thing on ‘paperwork’ night?” Zoro took the brown paper bag when the Kitsune offered it to him before sitting in the chair and throwing his backpack to the ground. “Will you tell him I said ‘thank you,’ or should I stop by for breakfast again?”

North hummed in thought, flicking his eyes to the ceiling and Zoro couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath as he opened the bag to see what it was Sanji had made him this week. With conflicting schedules, the two men hadn’t seen one another a lot— now that North wasn’t causing trouble for him to see Sanji— and had to rely on drawn out text message conversations and North’s random visits. Not that Zoro overly minded them as long as the Kitsune was behaving himself. He hadn’t seen the little monster outside the Baratie causing trouble and he was taking that as a win in his book.

It looked like Sanji had made him a couple sandwiches again, or more accurately, a wrap that had been cut in half. It was some sort of beef, from what he could figure, spotting pieces of nicely cooked red meat in the middle of green and red vegetables.

“Sanji made one for me, too! He called them colored beef or something like that. It has red peppers in it.”

“Colorful beef wraps, his note says. It has red peppers, onions, sirloin steak, lettuce and tomatoes. Sounds pretty good. Is this something he serves at the Baratie?”

“I don’t think so.” North tipped his head in thought and Zoro could just picture his fox-like ears tipping to the side with the motion. “I haven’t seen it anywhere before.”

“So this is something he made special? For me?”

“Me, too!” North snapped, slamming his hands onto Zoro’s desk. “I got one first.”

“I bet only because there was leftover meat from making mine.”

“So?” Crossing his arms, North smirked at Zoro, showing off one of his pointed canines. “I still got to eat Sanji’s cooking first.”

“You are such an idiot, you know that?” Setting the bag aside to eat after he cleaned up his desk a little more, Zoro dropped his pen into the mug on the corner of his desk. “So, how much persuading did it take for Sanji to get you to deliver me lunch again this week?”

“Not a lot,” North grinned broadly and Zoro felt his heart thump in his chest as how close to Sanji the action actually looked. It was going to take a while for him to really get used to North looking like a younger Sanji. “He wants you to come over for dinner again. And you make him happy. He’s been in a really good mood this week and I like seeing him that way.”

Zoro paused in his paper stacking to look at North. He had to remind himself that despite the Kitsune’s look, he was a lot older than he liked to let on. A lot wiser, as well. Plus, he’d been living with Sanji for long enough now to know the blond’s moods and emotions. Zoro set the stack of papers in his “to file” basket and nodded with a smile. “I like seeing him happy, too, North.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Colorful Beef Wraps recipe that I used in the chapter: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/colorful-beef-wraps


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's what I will try to do. If I can write a chapter, I will post a new one that day. If I don't than I won't. I have a lot of free time right now, but once school starts back up again, I may not have as much free time to update this daily. I know, "But it's only 800 words." True, but sometimes it takes me 20 minutes to write a chapter, other times it takes HOURS to write the same size chapter.
> 
> There is just general shenanigans going on and it's fun and light-hearted. We all need that and I will try my best to keep updating as quickly as possible, but I don't want anyone to get disappointed if I miss a day, or two or twelve.

Zoro opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a few dollar bills that were in his wallet. “Come with me, North.”

“Where are we going?” Zoro stood as the Kitsune hopped out of his chair and tipped his head back to look up at Zoro.

“Well, I want to grab a drink and I thought I would grab you some chips or something, if you wanted them. Do you even like chips?”

“Are you trying to bribe me?” North grinned at him as Zoro ushered him out of his office.

“No, I’m not trying to— jeez, do you want a snack or not?”

“Sanji has chips in the restaurant, but I hardly ever get them. He says they are ‘junk food.’ I have to sneak down to get them.”

“How in hell do you do that?” Zoro glanced down to North as he scoffed, but then turned his attention back to where they were going. He turned into the little room they kept a couple of the vending machines in. “Anyway, do you— North?” Zoro sighed, he really shouldn’t have been surprised that the Kitsune disappeared on him. “North!”

Zoro was about to turn back for the door when the Kitsune appeared in the doorway. “Like this!” He grinned, spreading his arms wide and Zoro actually gasped as North’s appearance. There were slight little differences that Zoro could pick out, but at a quick glance, someone could have easily mistaken North as Sanji fully grown. “Pretty good, huh? I can’t quite get his adult form right though.” The Kitsune tapped his chin in thought with a slight hum.

Zoro grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into the room, meeting his eyes and it weirdly freaked him out that they were at his level. They weren’t Sanji’s though, that Zoro could tell. “Dammit North, cut that out. You just can’t go changing like that. Fucking creepy, too. I swear, you ever do that to me again and I’ll fucking deck you. Wait,” Zoro’s eyes went wide as Sanji— North— grinned back at him, sharp pointed canines biting into his lower lip. “ _Have_ you done this to me before?”

“Maybe,” North gave him a toothy grin before morphing back into his child size state. He stretched his arms out over his head and shrugged. “I can’t hold that form long. I don’t know why. I can this one and the one I tricked you in the bar with—”

“Hey! Watch it.”

“— But not that one and I can’t understand why.”

“Uh, maybe because you are trying to intimidate an _actual_ human being?” With a roll of his eyes, Zoro turned back to the vending machines to pay for his drink. “So you want those chips or not?” He glanced down to North, kinda happy that the Kitsune didn’t seem able to  imitate Sanji’s appearance for very long. It was sort of reassuring in a way. “Does Sanji know you can do that?”

“What?” North took the couple bills Zoro offered him and turned his attention to the machine. “Change like that? Yeah, he’s aware. He doesn’t like it though.”

“Maybe that’s why you can’t do it. You don’t have his permission.”

“Perhaps.” Standing on his toes, the Kitsune fed the first of his two bills into the slot. “I should try you, Mossifer.”

“That’s not even funny and actually a crime.”

“What is?”

“Impersonating an officer. How would you like to spend the rest of your, what, seven hundred years, in jail?” Crouching down to grab his drink, Zoro looked over to North to once again be eye level with him. The little blond’s eyes flashed gold as he grabbed his bag of chips. “You really need to be careful, North, on who, when and where you try to transform. Not everyone is going to be as okay with it as Sanji and I are. I’m sure you know this.”

“I do.” North nodded sharply, a hint of his actual age coming out in his voice. “I’m glad I have Sanji though. And I guess you too, Mossifer. It’s nice to be able to be me and not have to really worry about keeping my appearance as much.”

With a chuckle, Zoro grabbed his drink and stood, ruffling North hair. “Come on, let’s go back to my office and eat.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually worked on North yesterday but I didn't have time until now to update!

Zoro’s phone pinged as he was trotting up the stairs to his house. Ignoring it for the moment, he unlocked his front door, dropping his keys onto the table and shouldering off his jacket. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled his phone from his pants pocket, lighting up the screen and thumbing into his messages.

_ So North tells me you gave them potato chips while they were there with you last night. _

Zoro rolled his eyes and huffed a chuckle. Shifting on his feet, he took a deep breath.  _ So what if I did? _

The reply was almost instantaneous and it occurred to Zoro that it was still early, earlier than it had been when he went to the Baratie for breakfast last week and Sanji probably wasn’t overly busy yet.  _ I don’t really care, it’s their stomach. North just happened to mention it as I was headed down to the office. _

_ Oh, your morning for paperwork?  _ Setting his phone on the table, Zoro got his boots off and made his way into the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat before heading upstairs to take a shower and sleep for the day. His phone went off a couple times and he had to resist the urge to stop what he was doing to answer it.

_ I normally do paperwork today. Last week one of my cooks needed the morning off, so I just worked it. Anyway, how were those wraps? I had seen the recipe a while ago at a convention I had to go to, but I never saw the opportunity to try them out. North liked them, but they will eat anything I cook. _

Zoro looked down to the peanut butter bagel he was making and frowned slightly. Those wraps were a hell of a lot better than this. Hell, breakfast with Sanji last week was a hell of a lot better than this. Why did he decide to just come home today?

His phone pinged again and Zoro couldn’t help but laugh at the question. It was almost like Sanji was reading his mind.  _ Why didn’t you stop by for breakfast again? _

_ I thought you were cooking,  _ Zoro typed out. It was the truth; he hadn’t realized it was paperwork day for Sanji as well.  _ But now that I know, I can make sure I stop by from now on. _

Settling himself on his stool, Zoro was content to eat and talk to Sanji. He picked his phone back up with a yawn, the long boring night finally hitting him.  _ Please do. _ Zoro could practically hear the blond purr out the words, a slight smirk gracing his mouth.

_ I may have to if I am going to continue to get this type of exclusive treatment. I take it not all your customers get your undivided attention. _

_ Only a VERY select few. One, actually, but they didn’t show today, so I decided to talk to you instead. _

Zoro took a moment before answering to consider their flirting style. It was rather weird and pointless, but then again, Zoro figured flirting usually was.  _ Just let me know if I need to file a missing persons report for you. _

_ That will have to depend… Any chance you’d arrive here to take my statement? Preferably on duty. _

What a little shit. Shaking his head, Zoro got up, setting his plate by the sink and heading upstairs.  _ You’d have to come to the station for that, but I would be happy to fill it out. _

Shit they were all sorts of corny. Zoro didn’t know when the last time he’d done this type of thing though, probably when he was still in the academy or shortly after.

_ Damn, there goes my plans of getting you upstairs in my apartment again. _

_ You can just ask, you know. I may say yes. _

_ Good, dinner is at the same time as last week. North asked me to make them rice noodles and I thought I would attempt to make ravioli out of them instead. _

Zoro’s mouth watered at the thought of Sanji’s cooking and he decided to forgo the shower now in favor of getting up a little early to take one that night.

_ Sounds amazing. I will see you tonight then, I need to get some sleep. _

_ Sleep well, Zoro. _

_ Night Sanji.  _ Setting his alarm, setting his phone to silent and plugging it in, Zoro climbed into bed and was sound asleep soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentioned recipe: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/GDCGKNJY/rice-noodles-with-wontonchinese-ravioli-in-mushroom-sauce


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had actually written several chapters in one day, but life got busy and I never posted them. (I know I said I would but I wrote them and then didn't edit them and got sidetracked with another project.) Anyway, I decided to post them in one big lump as it sort of "ends" a segment of the story before we more into another segment.
> 
> At the start of Chapter 31 it will begin to be less of a "we just met" and more of a "let's make this work," plus North.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the next few chapters!

Zoro woke with a start, his alarm going off and with a groan, he picked up his phone and shut it off. Scrubbing both hands over his face, he had to force himself to get up. Not that he wasn’t excited to be going to Sanji’s, but he hated having to get up when he was warm, comfortable and had slept really fucking well.

With a huff, he threw the covers off himself and got up, half stumbling down his hall toward the bathroom as he rubbed at his eye. Yeah, waiting until now to shower had been a smart move for sure as the water was sure to wake him up so he was able to enjoy his evening. He didn’t waste time in the bathroom like he normally would have, wanting to get in and out of the shower and dressed, so he had more time to spend with Sanji this evening.

He couldn’t explain why he felt sort of giddy at spending time with the other man. It was sort of childish, in that love struck teenager sort of way, but hell, Sanji was turning out to be a great guy and Zoro enjoyed spending his free time with him. North wasn’t all that horrible either if Zoro really wanted to put thought to it.

Still scrubbing a towel through his hair, Zoro trotted down his stairs, turning for the livingroom when he heard a knock at his door. Pausing mid stride, Zoro turned for the door, mind racing on who the hell could it be. Pulling it open provided North, the Kitsune standing at the edge of his welcome mat, hands behind his back. “Hi, Mossifer!” He grinned up at Zoro with a beaming smile.

“I should have known it was going to be you.” Zoro stepped back a pace and sighed as he swung a hand through the air. “Well, come on. I know you want to come in.”

North ran inside and disappeared into Zoro’s home faster than he could follow. “What are you doing?” He called out after North, throwing his towel over his shoulder and finally making his way into the kitchen.

North was standing there with his fridge door open. “Wow, Mossifer, you have  _ no _ food in here.”

Zoro rolled his eyes and closed the door. “Get out of there. Why are you here?”

“I came to get you, duh.” North crossed his arms and huffed, letting Zoro push him away from the fridge to stand near the counter.

“I am capable of getting to the Baratie on my own, thank you. So, I’ll ask again, why did you come here?”

Zoro watched from the corner of his eye as North looked away to stare off at some point on his floor. He muttered under his breath and Zoro turned to lean a hip against his counter as he crossed his arms. “Excuse me? It’s not polite to mumble when having a conversation.”

“I said ‘because you acknowledge me,’ okay!” North growled at him, eyes flashing red as his hands snapped into fists at his sides. Clicking his tongue, the look on his face grew somber and he dropped his shoulders slightly. “Most people just think I’m a stupid kid, if they even do that. You— you  _ actually _ talk to me.”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I talk to you?” Zoro furrowed his brows slightly, but he could see where North was coming from. Even he had first thought that the Kitsune was just an out of control twelve year old kid.

“You just want to mate with Sanji.”

Zoro rolled his eyes as the remark, half expecting something like that to come out of North’s mouth anyway. “That’s not true. Are you okay? Did something happen? You’re a bit pissier than usual and not in that protecting Sanji way.”

“He told me he told you.” North shrugged a shoulder. “Not that it matters. I am  _ not _ leaving.”

“I never said you had to. You make things… interesting, that’s for sure.”

“Interesting?” North perked up a little at that, lifting his head and meeting Zoro’s eyes.

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded, pulling the towel off his shoulder and tossing it on his counter. “It’s never dull with you around, that’s for sure.”

“I  _ am _ a good time, aren’t I?” North puffed out his chest a little bit and grinned up at Zoro again.


	26. Chapter 26

“Well, I wouldn’t quite go that far.” Reaching out, Zoro ruffled North’s hair. “But you always keep us on our toes, that’s for sure.” North flailed in an attempt to get Zoro to let him go. “Come on, let’s get ready to go. I’m sure Sanji will be expecting us both at this point.”

As he spoke, Zoro moved back out into his living room, grabbing his boots as he walked by on his way to the couch. Sitting down, he looked over to the window as a thought occurred to him. The window was on the shaded side of the house and covered by a large bush. He couldn’t really see out of it, but no one could see in it either. “Hey, North.”

“Yeah?” North jumped up against the back of the couch, hanging over it as he peered at Zoro with the turn of his head.

Zoro jerked away from him slightly, pointing at the window. “See that window?” The Kitsune slid off the couch and ran over to the window, pressing his hands against the glass and looking out of it. “Think that’s something you could get through?”

“It’s closed, Mossifer, no.”

Zoro tugged on one of his boots. “No, dumbass, if I opened it, how big would it have to be for you to get through it?”

“It looks like it’s just a couple feet off the ground, probably not a lot. Why?” North turned to face him, scrunching up his nose slightly.

With a sigh, Zoro rested both forearms on his knees. “Because I figure— well, for a couple reasons, but I figure I might as well leave it open for you so you can come here if you need to. But,” he held up a hand as North inhaled to speak. “I will have rules.”

North nodded sharply before morphing into his natural form and jumping to rest his front feet on the windowsill. All three tails were wagging, eyes glowing brightly from inside his skull. “Would you really do that? Can we try it? Are you going to leave it open all the time like Sanji does? What are the rules? Will you buy more food incase I get hungry? Or maybe make me snacks? Can I use the stove?” It was a little hard to understand his words as he spoke, but the breathy tone of his voice was clearly excited.

“Calm down, North.” With a chuckle, Zoro stood and moved over to the window and pushed it open so it was about halfway. Before he even got it that high, North was scrambling through it, half jumping and half falling to the ground below in his excitement.

Jumping back to his feet, he shook his head and peered up at Zoro, his gold eyes seeming to stare right into Zoro’s very being. It was sort of weird when the Kitsune was being serious and Zoro got the impression that North really was trying to see into his soul and figure out what his reasoning behind this action was. Zoro, himself, couldn’t fully explain it, he just felt like giving North another possible place to be safe was the right thing to do.

Much calmer, North jumped back through the window, landing gracely on Zoro’s floor and circling around him to sit in the middle of the rug, tails fanned out behind him. Tipping his head back to look up to him, North swiveled his ears forward as he spoke. “I can’t offer you the same things I offered Sanji.”

“I’m not asking for anything, North,” Zoro replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Well, maybe a little privacy now and again, but we can work on that later.”

The Kitsune tipped his head in a nod, rattling the skull perched on his head like some sort of headdress. “Thank you for your kindness toward not only myself, but my charge.”

“Um,” Pulling a hand free, Zoro ran his fingers through his hair and slid his hand down to rest against his neck. North acting his age and showing his years of wisdom always made Zoro a little nervous and he couldn’t explain why it did. He could feel his cheeks heat a little as he cleared his throat and gripped a little tighter to his neck. “You’re welcome. I didn’t really do anything, though.”

“You have. I was serious the other night when I said that Sanji has been happier the past few weeks than he has been in a long time. I am not sure why you are so different than the others that have come to call over the last year, but I can sense the difference in Sanji.”

Zoro dropped his eyes to the ground and heaved a sigh. “We better go before he thinks something happened to us.” Without a word, North changed back into his child appearance before grinning up at Zoro and running for the front door.


	27. Chapter 27

Dinner went about as well as it had the week before. Things were a bit more relaxed between them and Zoro found that when Sanji laughed, really laughed, his eyes sparkled unlike anything he’d seen before. Once he calmed down, the blond would clear his throat and push his bangs back behind his ear, but they never stayed there, falling right back into his eye.

North finished first, not that Zoro was surprised, and put his plate and glass by the sink before opening the door on the far side of the kitchen. “Night, Sanji, I’m going to bed. Night, Mossifer.”

“Night, North.” Sanji chuckled quietly as Zoro rolled his eyes and grumbled to the Kitsune as well. The door closed with a soft click and Sanji turned his attention back to Zoro. “Are you going to stay awhile, Zoro?”

“Would you like me to stay, Sanji?” Standing, Zoro picked up his plate as Sanji stood as well.

“Well, that would be nice, yes.” Sanji grinned at him. “Let’s clean up and then move to the living room? North won’t bother us if they’ve really gone to sleep.”

“I’m not worried about North.” Zoro set his things down on the counter and wrapped an arm around Sanji’s waist as the blond set the plates he’d been carrying down. “He’s really not that bad now that I’m not catching him stealing.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” Sanji turned to face Zoro, resting both hands on Zoro’s chest. “North just needs a little guidance, is all. Despite their age, they seem rather naïve to a lot of things.”

“Yeah,” nodding, Zoro couldn’t help but smirk. “I decided to leave one of my windows open for him. I figured if he’s out and about anyway, I might as well give him another place he can go.”

Sanji gasped before he smiled at Zoro, sliding his hands up to wrap his arms around Zoro’s neck. “You’re going to regret that, you know. North’s going to take full advantage of that.”

“I don’t care,” Zoro leaned in closer to Sanji, tipping his head slightly as he spoke. “He’s growing on me.”

“Is that so?” Sanji’s eyes flicked down before lifting to meet Zoro’s. “Even with the nickname?”

“Sanji,” Zoro started, eyed lidded and voice flat. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

Sanji didn’t answer, instead closing that gap that remained between them by pressing his lips to Zoro’s and tightening his arms around Zoro’s neck a little more. In return, Zoro pulled him closer by the hips, humming happily into the light kiss and trying to coax Sanji into something a little deeper.

The chef pulled away however, huffing slightly and carding his fingers into Zoro’s hair. “You are such a distraction,” he murmured, playfully nipping at Zoro’s bottom lip. “How am I supposed to get dinner taken care of if you keep this up?”

“Forget the dishes.” Zoro chased after Sanji as he pulled away, closing his eyes and tilting his head into the caress of Sanji’s fingers in his hair. “The dishes can wait.”

Sanji smirked at him, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Even though you’re off duty, do I have to listen to you, Officer?”

“Only if I have my badge on me.” Zoro grinned right back at him, moving close enough so that their noses touched and their breaths mingled as they spoke.

“Do you have your badge on you?” Sanji’s tone was breathless as he pushed against the back of Zoro’s head and sealed his mouth over his own. There was an eagerness there now that hadn’t been there before as Sanji’s hand gripped a little tighter to his hair and the other moved back down to press just under his ear.

Zoro’s grip tightened on Sanji’s hips as the blond twisted, pushing Zoro back against the counter and stepping flush against him. Moving his arms to wrap around the blond’s lower back, Zoro pulled him closer, if at all possible, swallowing back a low groan as Sanji bit at his lip, sucking and nibbling as he pulled away to break the kiss.

There was a fire in his eyes that spread easily to Zoro and he swallowed as he tried to calm his racing heart. Sanji wasn’t pulling away from him, instead moving his arms back to their original position around Zoro’s neck. “I have to,” Zoro managed to mumble out, eyes dropping to focus on the way Sanji bit at his lip as he listened to Zoro speak.

“Have to what?” Sanji asked, ducking back in to kiss at the corner of Zoro’s mouth.

“Have my badge on me.” Zoro chuckled as he chased the blond when Sanji pulled away. “It’s in my jacket.”

“So it’s not  _ on _ you?” Sanji raised an eyebrow at him and Zoro simply shook his head.


	28. Chapter 28

“No, it’s not on my person.” Zoro met Sanji’s eyes and felt he was unable to look away. Something about the depth of the blue was captivating and one of the first things he’d really noticed about both him and North.

Sanji leaned in once more, pressing his lips against Zoro’s firmly and lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. He ran his fingers down Zoro’s cheek, before dropping the hand to Zoro’s chest and patting lightly. “Then the dishes need to be done first.”

“Oh what the fuck, Sanji!” Zoro just stood there against the counter as the blond pulled away and went back to the table.

“It didn’t take us long last time and then we can go sit in the livingroom for a while and talk. I really want to and if I don’t have the dishes done, it will stay in the back of my mind and I won’t be able to focus.” Sanji stepped back up to him, setting the serving tray on the counter behind Zoro. “And I  _ really _ want to be able to focus on you, Zoro.”

“You are such a tease,” Zoro rolled his eyes in fake annoyance, following Sanji over to the table to help him pick up the last of the dishes and returning to the counter so they could clean up.

Despite his want to be kissing the blond instead of doing dishes, Zoro found this felt natural and was relaxing. There was a calmness between them and the silence wasn’t in the least bit awkward. Zoro didn’t feel like he  _ had _ to be talking to keep Sanji’s attention and he knew Sanji didn’t to have Zoro’s attention. All the blond needed to do was be there and Zoro found himself enthralled with whatever it was Sanji was going to do.

What in the hell was wrong with him?

And why didn’t he feel like changing a damned thing?

Sanji had his sleeves rolled up, hands plunged into the soapy water, humming lowly to himself as he washed a dish or a cup or… anything, before moving to place it in the rinse water and moving onto the next item. Zoro watched him for a moment, towel gripped in his hands tightly and tried not to lose himself.

“Are you going to help or stare?” Sanji looked sidelong at him as he set another washed item into the water.

“What? Sorry.” Jerking where he stood, Zoro stuck his hand in the cool water and grabbed the first thing his fingers came across. “I was just thinking.”

“About?” Sanji looked over at him fully, brows furrowed with his question.

“You.” Zoro dropped his head, knowing his cheeks flushed and tried to focus on making sure the plate in his hands was dry. “And this thing between us.”

“If I recall, it was you who asked me to date you last week.” Sanji set a bowl into the rinse water. “Officer Roronoa, you are not getting cold feet, are you?”

“No!” Zoro answered, maybe a little too quickly for his liking and seeing the smile grace Sanji’s mouth. “Quite the opposite actually.”

“Oh? Now I am truly curious.” Sanji chuckled lowly as he pulled the drain from his side of the sink. “Come on, Zoro, dry the dishes. I’ll run downstairs and get us some coffee to drink while we are in the livingroom. I should check on the kitchen anyway.”

Zoro only nodded, watching as Sanji walked over to the stairwell, slipped on a pair of shoes and disappeared down the stairs. Holy shit, that man was fucking perfection and he’d only known him for a few weeks.


	29. Chapter 29

Zoro was just pulling the drain from the rinse water when Sanji topped the stairs holding two cups of coffee. He kicked his shoes off without spilling them and handed one of the mugs to Zoro with a raised brow. “Black with just a little creamer, correct?”

Zoro narrowed his eyes at Sanji as he took a tentative sip of the liquid. Fucking perfection. “How the hell did you know that?”

Sanji’s grin grew wider. “The waitress who took your order last week is working tonight, she told me.”

“Well, shit, you got the entire place working for you, don’t you?”

“Both literally and figuratively.” Sanji chuckled into his own mug and threw an arm in a wave down the hall. “Shall we?”

With a nod, Zoro turned down the hall, hanging a right into the living room and settling onto the black leather couch that ran along the left wall. Sanji set his cup on the table runner before sitting down, tucking his feet up under his butt. Picking his coffee back up, the blond turned to look at Zoro and grinned. “So, talk to me.”

“About what?” Zoro chuckled, sipping at his own coffee. “That’s kind of a loaded question.”

“Well, why don’t you start with why you were staring at me while we were doing dishes?”

“Um,” Zoro ducked back into his cup. Shit, of course Sanji would want to know what he was thinking. He hadn’t made it blatantly obvious he was gawking at the other man or anything. Sanji laughed and it just made the blush Zoro could feel creep over his nose rush that much faster to his cheeks. “I was just thinking about how comfortable this felt, for being as new as it is.”

Sanji hummed a non-answer at him, watching him calmly over the edge of his mug. Steam curled up into the air, but Zoro chose instead to focus on Sanji’s eyes. “That probably sounds really stupid to you. I just don’t really get out much. Ugh, that makes it sound worse.” With a groan, Zoro dropped his head back against the back of the couch and huffed at the ceiling.

“You get embarrassed too easily, Zoro.” Sanji leaned over and dropped his head against Zoro’s shoulder, twisting his neck to look up at him. Wrapping his arm around the blond, Zoro heaved a sigh before dropping his cheek against the top of Sanji’s head.

“I’ve never been good at this sort of thing. Ace says I just need to get out there more and go for it. He keeps trying to get me to go to the clubs with him thinking if I just ‘pick up some chick’— his words, not mine— I will get over whatever this is.”

“What, what is? Who the hell is Ace and why are you hanging out with him?” Sanji clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“He’s another cop at the station. That’s not really my scene though. I mean, I like to drink, but I don’t want to do it in the clubs he likes to go do. There’s a quiet bar I will go to sometimes. That’s actually where North found me.” Zoro frowned as he recalled that night. All he’d wanted was a quiet drink. Come to think of it, he really hadn’t drank much since that night.

“What about you?” Zoro took a sip of his coffee with his free hand, glancing down to Sanji as he did the same. “North said you’ve—”

“North makes it sound like I have a different person in here every week.” Sanji rolled his eyes. “To be honest, after the incident with North, I have only had one other date and it ended badly because of North. I decided it was easier to stick to work and taking care of them. Then you came crashing into the back alley. Literally, I might add. Why were you in my kitchen anyway, I never asked you that?”

“I was chasing, North, why else? He went in the front door and I followed him inside.”

“How in the hell did they even get the front door open? North doesn’t have a key.”

“He’s your magical creature, not mine, you tell me.” Zoro smirked, jerking away when Sanji pinched under his arm. “The fuck, you asshole.”

Sanji shrugged a shoulder and grinned as he sat up, setting his cup on the table. He took Zoro’s and set it down as well before climbing into his lap and Zoro couldn’t help but think that he liked this slightly egotistical and confident Sanji as much as he liked shy and blushing Sanji. Hands playing with the hem of Zoro’s shirt, Sanji leaned in close to him. “I’m kinda glad you came crashing into the alley that morning.”

Zoro didn’t hesitate or give Sanji a chance to back away, pecking him on the mouth and grinning back at him. “Yeah, me too.”


	30. Chapter 30

Zoro slid a hand up Sanji’s back, running his fingers into blond hair and holding Sanji close by the nape of his neck. The blond didn’t fight him, instead leaning closer to press a lingering kiss to the corner of Zoro’s mouth. Settling his weight onto Zoro’s thighs, Sanji shifted, sliding his hands up Zoro’s stomach and chest to wrap his arms around his neck.

Breaking away, Sanji gave Zoro a fleeting smile, eyes lidded and shadowed from how the light of the room fell over him. “Do you think North did this on purpose?”

“Did what?” Zoro scrunched his nose in slight confusion.

Sanji looked away and shook his head. “Nevermind, forget it.” Leaning back in again, Sanji caught Zoro in a soft kiss before he had a chance to answer. Zoro couldn’t help but melt into it and forget the look that had flitted across Sanji’s face for the moment. He was finding he greatly enjoyed kissing the other man and he wasn’t about to let the moment slip by him.

Tipping his head, Zoro deepened the kiss, encouraging Sanji with a little nip to his bottom lip. Sanji made some little cut off sound as he kissed back, twisting his whole body in Zoro’s lap and opening his mouth as Zoro did the same. His knee dug into Zoro’s hip a little bit, but he really couldn’t have cared about it in the slightest.

Zoro could taste the sugar Sanji must have put in his coffee as soon as their tongues met, the slightly sweet taste mixing with the bitter of the coffee. Inhaling through his nose, Zoro pressed forward, eyes remaining closed as he let his other senses take over. Sanji felt perfect in his embrace and Zoro held on tighter as a low moan escaped him.

Sanji pulled away at that. Mouth slightly ajar, breath a little ragged and hair mussed from Zoro’s fingers being in it, the blond licked at his lip and swallowed. “Did I hurt you?”

Sitting up, Zoro grabbed Sanji by the back of the neck and pulled him into a quick, but messy kiss. “You’re worrying too much,” he breathed out as the two broke apart. “Stop thinking and just kiss me.”

Sanji huffed a laugh and smiled. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. What’s on your mind? It’s clearly distracting you.” Zoro leaned back against the couch, moving his hands to rest on Sanji’s thighs, thumbs idly rubbing circles.

With a sigh, Sanji slumped forward slightly, hands coming to rest in their laps once more. He looked up to Zoro through his bangs and gave a half shrug. “I just feel like North has their hand in this somehow. Like they went out looking for a potential relationship for me.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow at that. That actually hadn’t been anything he’d considered before. With the Kitsune being Sanji’s guardian, he would want what’s best for the man and probably do whatever it was within his power to make it happen. Although if that were the case: “Then why did he steal your business card  _ back _ from me after you gave it to me?”

Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose and tipped his head back with a groan. “Because I yelled at them about going out and being seen. And by the cops no less.”

Zoro slid his hands around to Sanji’s lower back, kneading at the tense muscles he could feel on either side of the man’s spine. “That little shit is very protective of you.”

“I know.” Sanji nodded. “I didn’t ask North to do this, you know. It was my full intention to get you to leave and not come back.”

“Then why am I sitting on your couch with you straddling me?”

“Because you wouldn’t go away.” Sanji rolled his eyes and smirked. “And you’re kinda cute.”

“Only kinda?”

“Only kinda.” Leaning forward, Sanji spoke against Zoro’s mouth before kissing him once more. Zoro thought about pulling away to reply, but thought better of it, opening his mouth when Sanji licked at his lip and preferring to get lost in the kiss.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, been awhile since I looked at this. Sorry, school started and I've just been so busy! I felt like messing with it today though, so you get a chapter! Yay!
> 
> Finally swinging our way from awkward first dates and more into relationship things.

Zoro’s shoulder rested against the inside of the door to Ace’s cruiser. His day shift was spent patrolling around the city while Ace laughed about having to give people tickets. Zoro was mostly along as possible backup if something went wrong and to just be there for intimidation purposes. Usually people didn’t argue as much when they could spot a second officer sitting in the passenger side of the cruiser or walking up to the passenger side window of their own car.

He couldn’t get what Sanji had said about North out of his head though. They had spent a little longer on the couch, the tentative atmosphere finally giving way and flooding back with that calmness Zoro was quicking associating with Sanji. It led them into quite the little make out session and possibly could have gone further, but one of the cooks came running up the stairs and needed Sanji right then and there, killing the mood and putting a damper on the rest of the evening.

Sanji had explained through text the next day what had happened, something about one of their more regular and demanding customers wanting  _ Sanji’s _ food and so he’d needed to take care of it. ‘The joys of being a owner of one of the best restaurants in the city,’ Sanji had grumbled when the two had actually been able to talk on the phone for a couple minutes.

“So…” Ace’s voice broke his thoughts as the man slid back into the driver’s seat. “What are you thinking about?”

“My boyfriend.” Zoro blurted it out with a sigh before he even realized what it was he had said.

Ace choked on his drink, spilling it down the front of his uniform. “You’re  _ what?” _

“Boyfriend.” Raising an eyebrow at him, Zoro watched as Ace tried to clean up his mess with a napkin. “Problem with that?”

“Naw,” the other man started shaking his head. “My little brother is dating a med student. Weird fucker he is, pretty sure I arrested him once. I recognize the tattoos.” With a shrug, Ace shook his head to clear his thoughts. “No, just you saying you’re dating is what caught me off guard.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t exactly looking for one.” Zoro snorted back a laugh. The entire situation with Sanji and North really was something else. “But it just sort of happened.”

“That’s the best kind.” Ace stuffed what looked like half of one of those little fruit pies into his mouth and started the car, somehow managing to talk as he chewed. “So, who is this guy? Must be really something to catch your attention, Mister Reclusive Asshole.”

“Oh fuck off.” Rolling his eyes, Zoro watched traffic zip by as Ace waited for a chance to pull back onto the road. “He’s a good guy. I only met him a few weeks ago though. He owns his own business.”

“Nice.” Ace nodded as he pulled out behind a little gray van. The person driving immediately slowed down to the speed limit, making Ace sigh. “Everybody always thinks that if they slow down while I am behind them, I won’t know they were speeding to begin with.” Picking his drink back up, he took a sip and set it back in the cup holder. “So, business owner, this means that they have a pretty solid head on their shoulders.”

“Yeah, he does seem to. He’s got his quirks but, everyone does.”

“So, the big question: You like him?”

“Obviously, Ace, if I am dating him.”

“Yeah, true, this is you we are talking about here.”

Zoro’s phone vibrated in the other cup holder and he plucked it out, smirking as a text from Sanji flashed across his screen. “Speaking of him, that’s him texting.”

“Ooooh,” Ace laughed. “What’s he want? Late night rendezvous or sexting in the backseat? Do I need to buy you a new set of cuffs so your work pair doesn’t get covered in all sorts of nasty?”

“You’re a real asshole, you know that.” Zoro opened up the text message as he muttered under his breath, Ace laughing at him the entire time.

_ Hey… I know you have a day shift today. Any way I can convince you to stop by for lunch? _

Zoro groaned, banging his forehead against the window. Figures.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so sorry. I got all your comments and I usually reply, but I just, I don't know what's been up with me lately, just felt off. Anyway, thank you for all the kind words, they mean so much and I am glad I can give this little fic to you. It's my feel good fic as well!

“What?” Ace asked, slowing for a stoplight. “What did he say?”

“He wants to do lunch.” Zoro stared at the words, not sure what exactly to do. Yeah, he could easily do lunch with Sanji. Would love to have lunch with the man, but there was only one problem…

“Ah, yeah, lunch sounds awesome!” Ace grinned at him, trying to read Zoro’s text from his side of the car. “Tell him we will meet him wherever he wants. I want to meet this guy.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, my mother?” Zoro pulled the phone away, twisting his wrist to hide the screen.

“No, but you are only a couple years older than Luffy. I should introduce you two some time now that I think about it.”

“I need to answer Sanji, Ace.” Zoro sighed, trying to figure out how to go about this entire thing. He and Ace really weren’t supposed to be apart today, but he really didn’t want to bring the man to a lunch date with Sanji either.

“Sanji? As in Sanji Black.  _ That _ Sanji?” Ace turned his head so fast, Zoro heard it crack. “Oh fuck, this gets better and better. I am calling Luffy.”

“Don’t call your brother!” Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose, slumping in his seat as Ace snatched his own phone out of Zoro’s reach. “Come on, Ace, can I deal with one headache at a time please? Sanji wants to have lunch, I don’t want to drag anyone else into this mess.”

With a pout, Ace put his phone back in the cup holder, throwing on his blinker and changing lanes. Zoro sat back up, noticing Ace was turning around and heading back the way they had just came. “What are you doing?”

“You got a lunch date.” With a shrug, Ace left the conversation at that.

Things fell quiet in the cruiser between them. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was a little tense. Zoro tapped out a reply to Sanji explaining the situation and put his phone down with a sigh, hoping for the best. Ace tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel, making sure to keep his eyes on the road ahead of them.

Zoro’s phone buzzed and he snatched it off his leg, thumbing to Sanji's message and sighing out in relief.  _ If that’s the case, then sure. We will figure it out, just wanted to see you. _

“What’s he saying? He doesn’t have a choice at this point, actually. I kinda want a burger.”

“We are going to a high class restaurant and you’re going to order a burger?” Zoro rolled his eyes as he tapped out a quick reply to Sanji about being there in a few minutes.

“Um, the bar isn’t as upstanding as the rest of the place. I can eat in there so you can have your private little lunch date.” Ace was mocking him, it was clear in his tone, but Zoro didn’t even care right now.

He waited until the other man picked up his cup once more and was drinking to speak. “I’ll more then likely get to go upstairs to his apartment to be alone anyway.”

Ace once again choked on his drink, spilling more on his already stained uniform. He swore, setting the cup back in the holder before reaching out and punching Zoro in the arm. “Dammit, Roronoa.”

Zoro couldn’t stop laughing. “Pay back’s a bitch, Portgas.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote a bit on this today, so thought I would post a couple chapters. Another "arc" ending with the chapters I post today as we move into the next one starting with chapter 35.

Zoro wasn’t surprised to see the parking lot full. Ace grumbled about a parking space, but he found one soon enough and the two climbed out of the cruiser, Zoro snickering at Ace as he complained about his uniform being dirty.

Running a hand through his hair, Zoro put his hat on, using the tinted windows as a mirror to make sure it sat right on his head. He hated wearing it, but Ace insisted on wearing his and bitched if they didn’t match when they walked into places or up to a car when they pulled one over.

“Ready?” Ace asked, running his fingers along the brim of his own hat and grinning like an idiot. “Gotta look sexy for the boyfriend, right?”

“You are so stupid, Ace.” Rolling his eyes, Zoro rested his hand on his belt as the two turned for the front door of the Baratie.

The hostess was actually on the phone when they walked in, but she acknowledged them with a smile and the moment she hung up, she smiled at them again. “Afternoon, Officers,” she just about sung the words. “Just the two of you?”

“We are actually here to see Sanji.” Ace elbowed Zoro in the ribs as he grinned broadly at the hostess.

“Oh,” she started.

“I am here to see Sanji.” Zoro took his hat off. “He’s just here to eat. Would you tell him I’m here?”

“Um, sure.” Zoro could see the confused look in her eyes as she turned and walked away toward the kitchen.

“She didn’t even ask our names.” Ace crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

“Ace, as soon as she goes into the kitchen and says to him that two cops are here, he’ll know it’s us.”

“Afternoon, Officer Roronoa, you here to see Chef?” One of the waitresses came to the hostess’s podium, crossing something off a list and smiling at them. Zoro recognized her as the waitress who was there when he came by for breakfast the week before.

“Afternoon,” he replied with a nod. “Yes, the hostess went to get him. Officer Portgas is just here for lunch though.”

“Ah, show me the bar and get me a burger, would you?” Ace grinned at her, being his usual boisterous self.

To her credit, the waitress didn’t even react except to shake her head. “I’m sorry, the bar doesn’t open until two.” Without giving them a chance to answer, she walked off. Zoro simply snorted back a laugh as Ace sighed.

Zoro had his eyes on the kitchen doors though, waiting to spot Sanji on the other side. He saw him through the little windows of the swinging doors, pushing it open and holding it for the hostess as she ducked out before him and Sanji followed along right behind her.

Sanji smiled, a large grin spreading across his face as he spotted them and Zoro couldn’t stop the smile of his own. “Holy shit, I can see his pupils dilating from here.” Ace snorted back a laugh as he murmured under his breath. “Nice job, Zoro.”

“Shut up, you asshole!” Zoro hissed as Sanji drew closer, making his way through the busy dining room easily. “Don’t be a jerk.”

Ace gasped in fake shock. “I would never!”

“Hi, Zoro,” Sanji purred out as soon as he was in earshot. “Glad you were able to make it.”

“Hey, Zoro’s boyfriend,” Ace smirked, holding out his hand. “Officer Ace Portgas, nice to finally meet you.”

Sanji didn’t miss a beat, turning his attention to Ace and grabbing his hand. “Officer Portgas, Sanji Black. If you’ll excuse us, we have a lunch date.”


	34. Chapter 34

Sanji let go of Ace’s hand and swept one out toward the dining room. “I started on lunch for us when I got your text. The kitchen staff is prepared for my absence and we are all set.”

“Perfect.” Zoro grinned at Sanji before looking over to Ace. “I’ll message you when we’re done, okay?”

“Yep, have a good lunch man.” Ace grinned at him from under his hat then turned his attention to the hostess, who was talking to Sanji about what to do with Ace during their lunch. He was telling her to set him at a smaller table and that his meal was on the house.

Then Sanji turned back to Zoro and with another large grin, the two made their way up to Sanji’s apartment through the kitchen. The staff all paused to look at them as they passed, getting used to Zoro’s presence, but not used to seeing him in uniform. Sanji paid them no attention and turned up the stairs, only stopping once he was on his landing that led into the apartment kitchen.

Turning, Sanji wrapped his arms around Zoro’s neck and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You look really good in your uniform.”

“Oh yeah?” Zoro moved one hand to Sanji’s hips, smirking at him as he leaned in for another kiss. Sanji hummed happily against his mouth before Zoro pulled away. “You’re not so bad yourself in your fancy white shirt and checkered pants.”

“I happen to like these pants.” Sanji raised an eyebrow at him and turned to take his shoes off before stepping into the dining room. “I won’t make you take your boots off today, probably not a good idea in case something happens.”

“Yeah, it’s usually quiet, but we are technically still on duty, even if we stop for lunch.” Zoro frowned as he walked over to the table, seeing everything Sanji had made already sitting there. Setting his hat at North’s spot at the table, he sat down in what was quickly becoming his spot across from Sanji. “What’d you make us?”

Sanji jumped right into his explanation mode, rattling off what he did to make their lunch and everything that was in it. He was about to start going into even more detail, when Zoro held up his hand. “The name, Sanji? What’s it called?”

“North asked for it and I figured why not,” Sanji grabbed at his glass as his cheeks colored slightly. “It’s beef noodle stir fry.”

“Looks great.” It probably didn’t need to be said, but Zoro also knew he was getting completely spoiled with not only all this amazing food, but it being cooked by a master chef like Sanji. Another blush rose on Sanji’s cheeks as he started eating. Zoro dug in as well and the two were quiet for a minute as they ate.

“Where is North anyway?” Zoro asked, taking a drink of what was apparently iced tea in his glass. “You said he asked for this?”

“They did.” Sanji nodded as he swallowed. “North’s asleep on the couch right now, so I put their food in the fridge. All four feet in the air, tails spread out all over the couch pillows. I’m not really impressed.”

Zoro snorted into his drink. “That’s hilarious.”

Sanji sighed. “Yeah, I guess so. I don’t mind North sleeping on the couch, I just don’t like the smell that gets into my throw pillows.”

“Make him take a bath.”

Sanji dropped his fork onto his plate, where it made a sharp clang and he just stared at Zoro like he’d had the best damn idea in the world. “When’s your next day off? I am going to need your help.”

“What? No! I was kidding. I am not helping you to give North a bath. Make him take a shower.”

“It’s not the same. It’s the fur. Where can I buy dog shampoo? Do you think dog shampoo will work on North since they are technically a fox?” Sanji tapped at his chin in thought.

Zoro snorted back a laugh as he stabbed at his food. “I have no idea, Sanji. Get it figured out and I will help you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> recipe used in this chapter: http://damndelicious.net/2014/11/28/beef-noodle-stir-fry/


End file.
